P - FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER 2002

FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER 2002

This morning was of course full of excitement for me. Come October and
the people of India are into their festive mood. Usually, the Durga
Puja is celebrated in the first or second week of October but then it
all depends on the calculative dates specified in the almanac. It is
the Indian calendar date that is important and then the corresponding
date in the English calendar finds those days marked in red, indicating
the holidays.

In the eastern part of India Durga Puja celebrations are found at its
heights with lots of spirit and enthusiasm. The Puja's celebrative
fervor continues for four consecutive days. But the arrangements and
the preparations start well ahead, say about a month earlier.

For the Bengalis, Durga Puja is the biggest Puja festival in a year.
For the Hindus, festivals are celebrated all through the year. There is
a saying, "Thirteen festivals in twelve months". If one analyses the
saying one can conclude that the whole year runs with a festive
fervor.

During this time businessmen make the maximum profit doing brisk
business. Special offers and discounts catch up the eyes in and over
the boundaries that the eyes can see. Mostly in every household they go
in for new clothes. This is the time of annual purchasing. Bonus is
given at many work places to their workers. Buying can be from a small
needle up to the very expensive items.

Shops get a better look with lots of glitter by way of special
lightings and decorations to attract more and more customers. What not
people buy ________ clothes, jewellery, cosmetics, footwear, decorative
pieces, drapes, furniture's, electronic gadgets and a huge variety that
is available in the market for it is the buying time. Houses are
cleaned and colour washed before the Puja's come and stand at the door
steps.

Schools and colleges get long holidays, from ten to fifteen days.
Offices and other work places remain closed for two to four days
depending on the management.

Durga Puja is mostly a community Puja celebration as it a very costly
affair. Very few families can afford to celebrate it
individually.

Pandals are set up where the images of Goddess Durga, her sons Ganesh
and Kartik and daughters Laxmi and Saraswati can be seen all together.
The Goddess is seen sitting on her Lion and at her feet can be seen the
dead body of the demon who has been killed by her with the help of her
Trishul. The myth says that the demon was creating chaos and havoc and
had made the lives of the people a hell. So to wipe out this chaotic
situation Goddess Durga takes the step in killing this demon so that he
people can live in peace and harmony. The whole thing signifies the
victory of the good over the evil.

Puja rituals are performed throughout the day, but the morning and
evening time Puja is important because of the Arati (lighted lamps are
used to perform certain rites by the Brahmins, who are the priests)
which is a must. In the morning people gather and offer Pushpanjali
(offer flowers taken into their hands and chant mantras along with the
priest and then lay it at the feet of the Goddess).

Temporary stalls are put up around the Pandals by small business folks
to make a good income during these days. Decorations and lighting
arrangements cost a lot of money. People's contributions in community
Puja's help to meet this huge expenditure.

From tomorrow four days holidays will start for me.

The first day of the Durga Puja, the Saptami, will be tomorrow.

New clothes, new footwear, good food, lots of sweets, moving about,
meeting friends and relatives, exchanging greetings, and many more
things are waiting for me to begin with from tomorrow morning. I am so
excited.

My day was spent with a good note and off I am to bed.

11.10 p.m.