India is known as the land of festivals and amidst the endless sea of festive occasions stands tall our utmost favourite, DURGA PUJA!
Let me ask you something. Have you ever seen any festival in our country where people forget all communal boundaries and enjoy a festival with their whole mind, body and soul without being worried about fitting in? No?! Well, its time to correct your mistake and join the crowd of Kolkata during this Puja with Gozo!
One just requires to mention “Durga Puja” to a person residing in Kolkata to get them started with their never ending tales and epics of the celebrations of the festival they hold so dear and close to their hearts. They will talk for hours in a stretch and you will notice how carefully they like to include even the slightest details of their memory in the narration. You will be awestruck by their passion and soon you will discover their infectious zeal creeping upon you and leaving you in a state of wondrous amazement. Justifiably so, because words can never describe the eminence this festival beholds.
Durga Puja is not like any typical festival of our country. Its more like a huge, elaborated carnival where the entire population of the city participates enthusiastically. The city is decorated from head to toe for a whole of 6 days and looks prettier than a bride! I can ramble on and on about my most favorite festival, so to cut things short, I will give you a list of events I look forward to every Puja!
1.Pandal Hopping: There can be no better way to spend your puja than pandal hopping throughout the night! During this time, the artisans put on their creative hats and construct the most beautiful themed-pandals you will ever see in the entire year! It is the best time to see the heights of creativity of the bengali people and their immense talent. I can personally assure you, you will have your jaws dropped!
2.Food: It is no secret that bengalis are big-time foodies and this is made quite evident in their famous puja festival. One of the popular things about durga puja is its ‘bhog’ which is offered to everyone attending the puja. The bhog comprises of khichdi, sabzi, papad and tomato chutney. Puja is the best opportunity for all the non-vegetarians to try the delicacies of Bengal. Every pandal has stalls that offer chicken, mutton and fish dishes which I’m certain you will savour! Not a non-vegetarian? Don’t worry! The streets of Kolkata are always filled with its famous street food and not even one item on the menu is worth missing, be it the world-famous ‘puchka’ or the variety of chaats laid in line.
3.Dressing up: Wondering where to wear that beautiful saree you brought for your friend’s wedding again? Its time to pack it up because you won’t want to look under-dressed among our very stylish Bengalis! Yes, puja is the occasion for which we start shopping from a month earlier and we like to look our best for the puja mela! You will see the streets streaming with people of all kinds of background, but one thing you will notice in common is how well they all are dressed.
4.Dhunuchi dance: “Dhunuchi” is a type of dance which is very entertaining to watch. In this, the performer holds clay incense burners(which is pretty hot) with “dhuno” on their palms and some even balance it on their heads and dance on the beats of the “Dhak”. You will be so mesmerized that you will want to join in!
6.Sindhur khela: This is one of the most interesting parts of the the festival celebrated on “Dashmi”. This function is restricted only to married women where they apply vermilion to each other’s face wearing their tradition attire in front of the idol of Maa Durga prior to her “Visarjan” or immersion. It is a joyful event to witness and their devotion is extremely infectious!
6.Dashmi: This is the last day of the Puja and this is the day when the idol of Maa Durga is immersed in water, but not before the devotees have danced and frolicked around the idol, marking a grand end to an enormous festival! Bidding Maa goodbye is an event of mixed feelings. You will feel happy realising that you got such a wonderful chance to be a part of this great celebration and sad because it will all be ending too soon. At the end, it is the feeling of content that you are left when you look back at the memories with a smile on your face, feeling privileged to get a chance to experience this amazing phenomena.
7.A sense of togetherness: This is the prime reason for the celebration of any festival and Durga Puja is no different. The festive aura of the city brings a pleasant change from our mundane day to day routine and we also get a chance to spend some quality time with our friends and family and create many memorable moments. Going out on streets, one is filled with a sense of joy seeing the massive celebrations and high spirits of people around. it is an enlightening experience-something I will suggest you must not miss!
Puja is already around the corner! And it is the best getaway this October from your daily routine and you will be pleasantly surprised to see how much you enjoy the grand celebrations of not only Maa Durga but of Life itself! Its not the time to hesitate, especially when travelling to an unknown city has become so convenient, easy and hassle-free with Gozocabs! We provide tailor-made taxi services only for you, so that you can enjoy this Puja to the fullest without feeling lost or confused and take back nothing but good memories from this historical trip of yours! So hurry, book your cabs right away and contact us for further details on +91 905-187-7000 and visit our website : gozocabs.com