Trina Saha spends Mahalaya morning at Babughat

A sea of devotees gathered on the banks of the River Hooghly early Thursday morning to perform tarpan – a ritual to pay homage to one’s ancestors on

Mahalaya

– and watching them carefully with a DSLR camera slung over her shoulder was actress Trina Saha. Her keenness to see the rituals up and close and capture the City of Joy’s morning splendour landed the actress at Babughat where she blended into the crowd, albeit from a safe distance and with her mask on. Keeping her company was Team CT.


For the love of Kolkata
Dressed in a red salwar suit and floral dupatta, Trina set off for Babughat sharp at 5.30 am. “I’ve always been scared of the overcrowding there. So, I never took a chance. But this year, I am determined to explore the morning beauty of my city. Kolkata is ethereal at sunrise. With the backdrop of Vidyasagar Setu, the river banks look oh-so beautiful,” she said right before slightly peeping out of her car window to feel the wind in her face.


At one with the crowd
On reaching Babughat, Trina took a deep breath to internalise the shock after seeing thousands of people thronging the river banks. “I was expecting the crowd to be limited this year,” she murmured while turning on the camera. But in no time, Trina immersed herself in the holy ambience of the area. “You can get very interesting profile shots here. It is intriguing to watch people praying with their eyes closed,” she shared, adding, “But I wish people here took social distancing and the need to wear masks more seriously.”


Festivity is in the air
Mahalaya marks the beginning of the festive season in

Bengal

and Trina is eagerly waiting for Durga Puja next month. “No matter what, this will be one of the most memorable days of my life as I witnessed the tarpan ritual for the first time ever. In this extraordinary year of a pandemic, we all are looking forward to Puja for some respite. I am excited to start wearing all my ethnic clothes in this period. I only hope and pray that we all take enough safety measures to fight the virus. I pray to

Ma Durga

to heal the world soon,” said Trina on her way back home.


Self-discipline is needed: A police official from River Traffic Police,

Kolkata Police

While the number of people is less compared to previous years, it is becoming difficult to ensure everyone wears masks and maintains social distance. Our officials are continuously announcing the guidelines on the microphone. But it is a difficult task when you are dealing with thousands of people. Self-discipline is the need of the hour. Here, it seems, nobody cares about the virus anymore.

Wonder what the city will be up to during Puja: Somnath Saha, who came from Barasat
I am coming here for the last seven years to pay respect to my late father. I knew there’d be a large gathering here, but I couldn't afford to be scared for such an important task. The sad part is hardly anyone is wearing a mask or maintaining any distance. I wonder what the city will be up to during Puja.