All-women club in New Town gets widow to do puja rituals

KOLKATA: A New Town Kali Puja organizer has made a widow - who have traditionally been denied participation in festivals - the face of Kali Puja as she applied vermilion on the Kali idol during 'boron', a ritual before immersion.

Incidentally, the same group of organizers had worshipped a Muslim girl during Kumari Puja - a Durga Puja ritual on Nabami - last month with a message to promote inclusivity, communal harmony.

Chhanda Das (82) had always been a religious woman and even now she spends the major part of her day worshipping idols at her home and watching mythological and religious serials on TV. But during community pujas, when married women participate in the rituals and play with vermilion during 'boron', Das used to stand at a distance and watch.

"Our society has always been brutal towards certain sections of people. Widows have been ignored during puja rituals for several decades. My mother-in-law too used to participate extensively during community pujas, but since her husband passed away in 2005, she was ignored. We tried to correct this practice and thus made her do the 'boron' for the first time in 18 years," said Prathama Mukherjee, one of the organisers.

Das, although considered a liberal woman by her family members and neighbours, admitted she was hesitant in the beginning before Mukherjee and others encouraged her to participate in the ritual.

"I was hesitant about what people would think or judge if I participated in the rituals. But to my surprise, there were no objections when I climbed the dais and conducted the ritual. It felt good," said Das.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword.