Bombay Durga Bari Samiti, Haji Ali
The oldest Durga Pujo in the city, which is in its 92nd year, will allow online darshan. The Samiti believes in conducting the pujo with a “ghoroa”. Like last year, this year too, will be a ‘ghoroa pujo’ in the truest sense of the term as all devotees will get to enjoy the festival from the comfort and safety of their homes. The Samiti will have all the traditional pujos and rituals such as pushpanjali, aarti, Shondhi Pujo and Maa’er bhog and will digitally broadcast on social media platforms.
This will be the second time in 92 years of the puja tradition that there will be a ceremonial Ghot Pujo instead of a Murti Pujo. Ghot Pujo is an ancient tradition where an urn which symbolises the Goddess is worshipped. For the pujo, there will be two urns symbolising Maa Durga and her children.
With his year’s pujo being virtual, the Protima Committee has conceptualised a three-dimensional mural, which is made of clay and hay by an artisan from the interiors of Kolkata. The mural will be adorned with traditional ‘Shola pith’ — an eco-friendly and biodegradable material.
Speaking about the mural, Paromita Banerjee and Dola Banerjee, who are the joint convenors of the Protima Committee, said, “The colour of the mural is that of clay. The overall look is a pristine white
‘Shola pith’ colour with intricate work on the saree and headgear.”
True to the Bengali culture, the Samiti has organised various cultural programmes during the five-day festival, including a sitar recital; a specially curated discussion commemorating 100 years of the birth of legendary filmmaker and author Satyajit Ray; and a musical evening by Kolkatar Gaanwala.
Mitali Poddar, chairperson of Bombay
Durga Bari Samiti, said, “As an organisation, the Samiti has always believed in promoting performing arts and artistes from diverse backgrounds. The programmes organised by the Samiti continue to reflect the cultural ethos of India. Due to the pandemic, our programmes will be digitally live-streamed to our viewers and there will be no physical attendees.”
Talking about the spirit of the Samiti members, Susmita Mitra, president of the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti, said, “While the pandemic has derailed the best laid plans, what has blessedly remained unchanged is the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication with which our members consistently work at making the Samiti a premier, non-sectarian, cultural and charitable organisation in Mumbai.” Being the oldest pujo in the city, the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti has certainly carried on its legacy into the virtual space too. You can watch the festivity and have darshan on:
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