Subho Durga Pujo Hyderabad!

The day begins with Sasthi Puja, followed by the Pushpanjali ceremony, and then by aarti and bodhan
Bengali samittee
Bengali samittee

A century ago, Durga Puja or Pujo transcended the geographical barriers of Bengal, and for the last eight decades, it has been celebrated graciously with traditional ceremoniousness in the city by over five lakh Bengali families. CE catches a glimpse of Bengalis prepping up for the festival that begins today.

Intricate-themed decorations, chandeliers and gilded panels all are decked up for eco-friendly goddess Durga idols. Various Bengali associations will begin the ritualistic revelry today, with cultural/devotional programmes organised on the Sasthi, the first of the five days of the festival.

The day begins with Sasthi Puja, followed by the Pushpanjali ceremony, and then by aarti and bodhan. The next day, the tradition is grander, and rituals begin. “Maha Saptami is also known as Saptami of Durga puja and is one of the important days of Durga Puja. On this day, a small banana plant, called Kola Bou, is taken to a water body where it’s washed. Women dress it in a red-bordered saree, bring the plant back in a Jathara and place it near the goddess,” says Bishwajeet Mukharjee, the secretary of Hyderabad Bangla Samithi which organises a grand Durga Pujo every year at Indira Park.

From the eighth day onwards, prayers, poojas, traditional chants, Rabindra Sangeet and annadanam take place with pomp. The post-pandemic colours of the festival are more vibrant. The food, dance and music add to the vibrancy at the Keys High School in Secunderabad.

While CE strolls at Keyes High school, we get in touch with Malay Maity, the executive member of the Bengali celebrations at Keyes High School, celebrating the 57th year of Durga Puja, who says: “I have been part of this festival for the last two decades.

Every year the celebration just gets better. We start at 10 am with pooja and then distribute the prasad to almost 10,000 people. Everyone who crosses our pandal is offered prasad. We have cultural activities in the evening, and the people who participate in this come from Kolkata and Mumbai. Every day of the five-day festival  is unique and celebrated in different ways.”

At Keyes School Pandal, besides Bengali food stalls, ladies could also find some lovely Bengali cotton sarees at the booths and even jewellery. “For us, the Durga puja festival starts from the sixth day as in sasthi, unlike Navratri. We Bengalis love to go pandal hopping and eat at the food stalls. For us, it is the time to get together with friends, indulge in chit-chat, and see the night pass away at the pandals.

Ashtami is our biggest day, where we offer pushanjali to the goddess and start our day. All the puja pandals are crowded from the afternoon till midnight with the energetic sound of dhakis keeping the puja spirit alive. I don’t miss Bengal during pujo nowadays, its all happening here, like a mini Bengal,” says Joy Mukherjee who has been celebrating pujo in Hyderabad with pomp for the past eight years

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