Durga
puja or the worship of goddess Durga is performed every year for a period of
4-5 days when Kolkata transforms itself truly to a city of joy. People are seen
in joyous mood smiling and laughing. Old friends are met, new ones are made and
the young ones fall in love as they spend time at pandals or tents erected for
the worship of the idols of Durga. It is a like a non stop carnival as hundreds
of thousands of people come out to the streets to visit one puja after another.
Although animal sacrifice is now banned other rituals associated with the
worship vary slightly from place to place and are extremely interesting. It
starts with the making of clay idols at workshops and ends with the immersion
of the goddess in the river Ganges with much fanfare, dancing and merry making.
