Spirit of Bengal soars on Ashtami

CHENNAI: The voices rose in unison and reverberated through the hall. The mantras were chanted and flowers were distributed for the devotees to offer to goddess Durga. As priests recited the prayers in Sanskrit, the crowd followed in tandem trying to invoke strength and good times to tide over the bad. The whole process was repeated all over again three times.
Ashtami is an extremely auspicious day for Bengalis during the Durga pooja. Many come to receive blessings from the goddess on the day she is considered to be the most powerful, before she slays the demon Mahishasura . And at the South Madras Cultural Association's (SMCA) 30th Durga Utsav in Besant Nagar, the scene was no different on Tuesday.
The colourfully-decorated pandal had a Durga idol in the customary pose of slaying the demon. But it was the people who thronged the hall and made the whole festivity burst with life and spirit. The crowd, though predominantly Bengali, had a diverse mix.
Like Krishna Iyer, a Tamilian , who eagerly handed out flowers to those around him. He has been part of the pooja festivities for several years now. "I have been married to a Bengali for over 30 years now, so I am very comfortable here," he says smiling.
His wife Indrani is a play director and a Kolkata native who has been attending the Utsav for over 13 years. "I grew up in Kolkata so I do miss the city very much, especially at this time of the year. But the celebration here makes up for it in a big way," Indrani says. "In Kolkata, it is more about the community . But in Chennai it's not just a religious function, it is more of comradeship and the sense of belonging," she adds.
The same sense of belonging is probably felt by Gimlee, a 22-year-old from Assam who is a student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology. "This is my second year in celebrating the pooja in Chennai. It is much more festive in Guwahati but it's nice to have a place here to celebrate."
Though a few, including women who tied their sarees in Bengali style, were in traditional attire, most were formally clad waiting to rush to work. But they would return for the sumptuous bhog in the afternoon.
Debabrata Banerjee, director of Indian Creative Dance Troupe who is performing for the SMCA as part of its cultural programmes, feels the spirit of the pooja is intact, but says it is more religious and grand back in Kolkata.
Dr Partho Battacharya, who has been attending the pooja for about 10 years, agrees. "I do miss Kolkata during this time, but the ambience of the festival keeps me in good spirits," he says.
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