Women perform traditional Sindoor Khela and celebrate the festival

Last day of Durga Puja culminated with the ritual of Sindoor Khela as city women performed the traditional ceremony with enthusiasm. Organised by Shakti Foundation, a women's organization, it began with a detailed explanation about the tradition of 'Sindoor Khela' and its importance, after which a puja was organised. Women dressed in traditional white saree of Bengal with red border first offered vermillion to Maa Durga, then applied vermillion to each other and performed the ritual of 'Sindoor Khela'. During the ritual, the women one by one performed the aarti of Maa Durga and prayed for the long life of their husbands.

In this ritual, not only married women but also unmarried women participated enthusiastically and gave the message of sisterhood and harmony. The performance of 'Navadurga Rockers', a band of artists from Kolkata, was the special attraction of the programme. Women offered each other sweets and danced together to celebrate.

Sonakshi Vashishtha, founder of Shakti Foundation, said, “This is the 5th year that this event has been organised by the foundation. This is an initiative for the local people to learn and celebrate new cultures. This year, eco-friendly idol of Maa Durga, traditional clothes and puja plates were specially procured from Kolkata. Our members from Kolkata, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer and other cities of Rajasthan also participated in the event.” Members Sushmita Das, Heena, Anupama Agarwal, Dr. Supriya Gupta, Nimisha Gupta, Sanjita Verma, Rashmi Baheti, Chaitali Sengupta, Shammi Goyal, Shruti Luthra were present in the programme.