It's very interesting to see how this festival is celebrated in different parts of India in different ways. But ultimately it is the festival of joy :-).
When I was a kid, we used to do Puja at home and then in the evening, used to visit Jammi chettu (Shami tree) with parents. It is said that, before going into exile, Pandavas hid their weapons on Shami tree. After exile, they recovered their weapons on Dashami and declared their true identities and defeated Kauravas. As the weapons were safe on the tree, they expressed their gratitude by doing Puja to Jammi tree and so is the custom to do Jammi puja on Dashami. It is accompanied by exchange of Shami leaves with relatives and friends
I still remember how we used to collect Shami leaves one week before the festival, and then sort out list of people to do Pranaam on Vijaya Dashami. The ultimate goal… when we do Pranaam, we get money … and with that money, we could buy extra Diwali crackers. As we grew older, we restricted Pranaams to parents and dear ones. And instead of wasting money on crackers, we bought plants for the home. Our views changed over time.
Being a Bengali Bou, Durga puja celebration has totally different flavor in my life. Few years back, I visited my in-laws in West Bengal during Navaratri. For me, everything was new….watching Durga Maa idol making, Durga Puja pandals, Kola Bou, Bodhan, Pushpanjali, Bhog and Sindhoor Khela…wow…so many things to enjoy during the last 5 days of Navaratri. And of course, I love watching Dhunuchi naach on Durga Asthami. More than that, if you have enough money, you get to wear new clothes on all 5 days… no food preparation at home…. just get ready, go out to Pandals, chat with friends and look for beautiful girls etc...
If you want to know more on the Bengali way of celebration, visit http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/durga_puja/time_and_way_of_celebrations.shtml
Now in Pune, we enjoyed Navaratri with Dandiya and Garba dance. Visited Durga Pandal organized by Bengalis in Koregaon Park. I captured Aarti and Dhunuchi nritya and uploaded to YouTube. Enjoy....
And if you don't have time to watch video, here are some pictures:
Enjoyed watching Dhunuchi nritya performed by ladies to the beats of Dhak (drums).
Had good food. Kids really enjoyed dining out.
Had fun watching Bengali Drama. I couldn't stop laughing for the dialogue "Ginni, tumi amaake beshi gyan diyo na". If my husband is reading this, I'm sure there is a big smile on his face :-).
And a tour to the art exhibition....
To all my friends reading this blog, I wish you and your family a very HAPPY DUSSEHRA. May this festival bring prosperity, joy and peace in your life.
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