Mother comes home again...

Mother comes home again. Yeah! I’m not talking about my momma but it’s about the momma of whole world. If you still scratching your head wondering who she is, then she is no one but Maa Durga, Goddess of energy and mother to all.      Dushehera is here again with lots of lights, fun and ten days of vacation. Dushehere or Durga puja (puja means worship and Durga is the Goddess who is worshipped on this occasion) is a Hindu festival mostly and widely celebrated on the eastern part of India. Now-a-days it’s widespread though and is celebrated abroad too. As my tiny town lies on the bed of Bay of Bengal, this is celebrated extravagantly through out the whole town for continuous ten days. May be this is one of a few festivals where the whole city gathers, bustled with crowd, hurly-burly winding city lanes bangs with noise. Ignoring race and religion everyone celebrates. Shop put up for discount sells. Children living away of their parents come home on vacation. It feels blissful even in the overpowering crowd.

        In this occasion mother of Gods, Goddess Durga is worshipped. In our culture she is offered as the source of the whole universal energy. It may sound quirky and odd but on the tenth day we do worship our vehicles ( yeah! Vehicles. You got it right). We do wash the vehicles, knot a small red cloth around its neck and pray to the Goddess to save us from every evil-eye.

        Except these, in this occasion many small and big idols of Maa Durga are put up on different places. (There are pictures below).  In the town like mine also has more thsn fifty statue (50!) statues consisting of small to enormous statues and all are very very pretty and eye-catching. I just love to wander around this time watching these. There are some idols so good that I couldn’t even take my eyes off them; wanted to stand like this forever letting those astounding arduous feats encroaching on my senses. Some idols describes love and care dripping radiant beauty of Maa Durga with hands seeming to nurture the world whereas some idols casts lights on the fiery furious side of  Goddess with truth and bravery flashing eyes and a courageous posture signifying good over ill. Apart from these, lots of eye-flashing decoration and many other small idols around the principal idol are set up to add glitz to it.

        The best thing of this festival is that it brings lots of brotherhood and motherly care for everyone. It feels like there is a mothers hand around always holding us from falling. Whoever comes to her, she takes them into her shade of love irrelevant of their color and cast. Even the posture of Goddess Durga of tearing a diabolic monster under her feet with trishul(her weapon) itself manifests the victory of good over ill; Celebration of good over ill. This celebration has continued for hundreds of years and will continue like this forever. 

          But the only thing that hurts me the most is the animal sacrifice. There has been a trend of misconception and blind believes of slaughtering domestic animals before Goddess to appease her. People do offer this with wish on before hand and after that the wish is fulfilled they butcher these animals. Then they cook the flesh and eat it. There used to be man slaughtering process years ago but it has vanished. But the process of sacrificing animals still continues. Is there any mother in the world who is thirst of her children’s blood? This is totally against the nature. Like we human being, those animals are also her children.  Just because they are weak and dumb, they are been killed mercilessly.  According to the reports more than 10,000 animals are killed this year at different Devi shrines despite the strict administration and enforcement of laws.

        One question always arise in my mind that if you actually wants to show your power and artifice then sacrifice a lion or an elephant or how about an anaconda or it would be better if a dinosaur could be caught. Just one of them is enough to feed the whole town. Just because they are wild and can tear the human apart, those weak domestic animals like cows, goats, hen, cocks are dragged off. Not fair!!!

        If you actually wants to sacrifice something then sacrifice your greed- adore her with love- appease her with hard work and sincerity.  That’s all she needs. Killing somebody will only make her angry. Yes, She is thirsty; but thirsty of evils. She has come here to stand the good and rumble down the evil growing everywhere.

        WAKE UP! WAKE UP! This is not the devotion. Look at those eyes. She is crying; crying to stop all these violence. Stop before her temper is aroused and she starts the series of destruction. 

P.S: My heartily and cordial thanks to my friend Rakesh who gave me such beautiful photos. Thanks a lot. :D