Durga Puja

Durga Ashtami 2023: Importance, customs, greetings to send your loved ones

The Panchang says that the Durga Ashtami 2023 Tithi of Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month will begin on March 28 at 7:02 p.m. and end on March 29 at 9:07 pm

Bengal Durga Puja economy this year crosses Rs 45,000-cr mark: Stakeholders

Even though the World Bank has downgraded India's growth forecast to 6.5 per cent for the current fiscal, business activities surrounding West Bengal's Durga Puja this year witnessed a "sharp upswing" with estimated value of the festive transactions "crossing Rs 45,000-crore mark" after the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. All stakeholders, ranging from retailers to hoteliers and restaurateurs, reported sales "more than expectations", while puja organisers were ecstatic with the festive spirit among people. "The trend is much better than expected. In our opinion, the puja economy in Bengal crossed the Rs 45,000-crore mark if we compare this year's festival with that of 2019 when there was no COVID. "Large-scale pujas were organised in districts this time. On average, the advertisement expenditure has increased by 45-50 per cent," Forum For Durgotsab, an umbrella organisation of community pujas, president Kajal Sarkar told PTI. Retailers and hoteliers experienced "30-40 per

Grand carnival to showcase idols of top 95 Durga Pujas in Kolkata today

Idols of the top 95 Durga Pujas in Kolkata will be showcased at a grand carnival in the heart of the city on Saturday afternoon. The community puja committees will take part in a colourful parade on Red Road, showcasing the brilliant craftsmanship which was on display during the five-day festival before an audience led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, representatives of UNESCO, diplomats of different countries and others. UNESCO has accorded Intangible Heritage status to the city's Kolkata Durga puja. The carnival which will start at 4.30 pm will be bigger and better this year, officials said. The carnival in Kolkata is being organised annually since 2016, except for the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Such carnivals were organised in every district of the state this year to mark the UNESCO honour. However, no such programme was held in Jalpaiguri as the district mourned the deaths of eight people who were swept away by a flash flood in the Mal river during ...

Two die of electrocution from poles during Durga Puja in UP's Barabanki

A 17-year-old boy and a man died due to electric shock after coming in contact with iron poles in a Duga Puja pandal here, police said on Thursday. The incident took place in Basaigaur village on Wednesday evening in which Somnath (35) and Rohit (17) died on the spot, they said. According to a villager, the wire from which power connection was supplied to the pandal was broken somewhere due to which electric current came in the poles. The pandal was wet due to rains in the afternoon, he said. Due to the current, several others also received electric shocks. The bodies of the two have been sent for post-mortem, police said. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Ram Sanehighat, Ram Asre Verma said the relief amount will be given to the family of the victims by the district administration according to the norms. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Satish Sharma also reached the spot and met the villagers.

Festival sales: Consumer firms see robust demand across categories

E-commerce firms and online retailers too have been having swinging times

Curtains down on Durga puja festival in West Bengal with idol immersion

The five-day-long Durga Puja festival in West Bengal came to a close on Wednesday with the immersion of idols on 'Vijayadashami' at various river ghats across the state. Women participated in the traditional 'Sindur Khela' (smearing vermilion on each other's faces) and offered sweets and prayers to the goddess before bidding her farewell for the year. Organisers of most household and community pujas were seen leading colourful processions to the ghats amid the beating of drums and chanting of mantras. Shortly after the immersion, people exchanged sweets and greetings. At Babughat, which witnesses the highest number of idol immersions in the state, devotees were seen queuing up since 11 am, with chants of Asche bochor abar hobe' (till next year) adding to the fervour. According to sources in Kolkata Police, adequate security arrangements have been made on the thoroughfares and at the river ghats for peaceful observance of the idol-immersion ceremony. The immersion of big-ticket Du

136 ft Durga Puja pandal in Lucknow to enter Guinness Book as tallest

The Durga Puja pandal, situated in Jankipuram, Lucknow is going to be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest ever.

Crowds brave rain to visit puja pandals on 'Maha Ashtami' across Bengal

Braving rain, crowds swelled at the ornate Durga Puja pandals on Monday evening in Kolkata and across West Bengal after the ritualistic pushpanjali' (floral offerings) to the Goddess by worshippers in the morning of 'Maha Ashtami'. Festive fervour oozed all-around in the brightly illuminated city as revellers attired in their best descended on the streets to visit popular puja pandals, with the number of people increasing manyfold in the evening. Following the Maha Ashtami puja in the early morning, worshippers gathered at their local puja pandals to offer 'pushpanjali' to Goddess Durga amid chanting of mantras (hymns) by the priest. A forecast of rain by the Met department failed to deter the revellers as they appreciated the intricate artworks at the pandals after two years of Covid pandemic-related health safety restrictions. All Durga Puja pandals in West Bengal had been made no-entry zones for members of the public in 2020 and 2021 on orders of the Calcutta High Court to curb

Partha Chatterjee not allowed to participate at Durga Puja in jail

Unlike most inmates, he will have to spend the majority of the time in his cell during the four days of Puja from October 1 to October 5

Bank holiday: In October, banks will remain closed for total 21 days

Starting today (October 3), the banks in some cities will remain closed for the entire week because of festivals

5 dead, 67 injured after Durga Puja 'pandal' fire in UP's Bhadohi

Forty-two people were injured in a fire in a Durga Puja Pandal here on Sunday evening, officials said. "A total of 42 people were injured in a fire at Durga Puja Pandal under Aurai Police Station area. The matter is being investigated," District Magistrate Gaurang Rathi said. The DM along with other senior officials of the district reached the spot to oversee the rescue efforts. Nine people were admitted in a local hospital, while 33 others with serious burn injuries were referred to a hospital in nearby Varanasi. An official of the fire department said that the incident occurred around 9.30 pm when an aarti was being performed. Around 300 people were inside the Pandal at the time of the incident.. Prima facie, an electric short circuit is believed to be the cause of fire.

Gandhi look-alike 'Asura' idol at Kolkata puja pandal stokes controversy

A Durga idol in Kolkata in which the 'Mahisasura' was replaced by a crudely-crafted Mahatma Gandhi-look alike created controversy on the birth anniversary of the father of the nation. Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, organisers of the puja near Ruby Crossing in southwest Kolkata, changed the appearance of the idol that looked like Gandhi following instructions from the police after a complaint was lodged. The organisers said the similarities were "just a coincidence". According to mythology, Goddess Durga slew Mahusasur in an epic battle to end his evil reign. "The Durga idol that was worshipped here initially had a Mahisasur whose face looked similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi. The similarities are just a coincidence. After photos of it went viral, a police team visited the pandal and asked us to change the face," Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha state working President Chandrachur Goswami told PTI on Sunday. A journalist had earlier in the day tweeted a photograph of the Durga ido

Festive demands up airfares by 20-30% on key routes across country

The hike in airfare prices is a result of the increased cost of aviation turbine fuel, according to ixigo's data

Braving rains, lakhs throng pandals in West Bengal on Maha Saptami

Braving overcast skies and intermittent rains, lakhs of people hit the brightly illuminated streets in the city and elsewhere in West Bengal on Maha Saptami to see the exquisitely crafted idols of the goddess and her progeny. The number of pandal hoppers looked bigger on Maha Saptami, officially the first day of the four-day fsetival, than on the previous two days when the marquees were opened in advance for the enthusiastic public. Large crowds were seen near popular Puja pandals like Sribhumi Sporting Club, Santosh Mitra Square, College Square, Chetla Agrani, Ahiritola Sarbojonin, Kumortuli Sarbojonin, Hati Bagan Sarbojonin, Baghbazar Sarbojonin, Hindustan Park, Kashi Bose Lane, Mudiali Sarbojonin, 95 Pally, Jodhpur Park to name a few among the large number of big ticket pujas in the city. The giant 'ekchala' traditional idol at Baghbazar Sarbojonin attracted lakhs of viewers and Kolkata police and club volunteers worked hard to prevent any stampede-like situation. "As it rained

Let's build society where women command more respect: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday greeted citizens on the eve of Durga Puja and asked them to build a society where women command respect and they get to contribute equally in the process of nation building. On the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all the fellow citizens living in India and abroad, she said. Maa Durga is Shakti Swarupa and this festival is an opportunity to show respect towards women power, the president said. A society where women empowerment is encouraged at every level in a true sense can be considered to be a modern, developed and just society, Murmu said. The nine forms of Goddess Durga symbolise the infinite power of mother nature, she added. I wish the spirit of unity and fraternity is strengthened in our society through the festival of Durga Puja. Let us build a society where women are respected more and more and they are able to contribute equally in the process of nation building, President Murmu said. I

Durga puja artisans in Assam see bleak prospects amid budget cuts

The deft hands of 67-year-old artisan, Tapas Pal, move with ease as he moulds the clay to give shape to divine forms at his workshop in Pandu area here but budget cuts, after two years of COVID-19 crisis, are leaving the idol-maker and his ilk dispirited. Pal is worried that this year, too, business may see no revival amid rising prices of raw materials and shortage of labourers, with several organisers having curtailed their spending. "We faced immense difficulties in the last two years due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Last year, the administration's directive to mark the occasion with small-sized Durga idols had adversely affected our earnings," Pal told PTI. "Prices of raw materials -- clay, hay, wood and even costumes and jewellery -- have skyrocketed post pandemic but organising committees are not prepared to pay more," he lamented. Artisans in the potters' colony in the western part of the city are still burning the midnight oil to ensure that idols of Goddess Durga and

Durga puja artisans struggle with budget cuts, rising costs in Assam

The deft hands of 67-year-old artisan, Tapas Pal, move with ease as he moulds the clay to give shape to divine forms at his workshop in Pandu area here but budget cuts, after two years of COVID-19 crisis, are leaving the idol-maker and his ilk dispirited. Pal is worried that this year, too, business may see no revival amid rising prices of raw materials and shortage of labourers, with several organisers having curtailed their spending. "We faced immense difficulties in the last two years due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Last year, the administration's directive to mark the occasion with small-sized Durga idols had adversely affected our earnings," Pal told PTI. "Prices of raw materials -- clay, hay, wood and even costumes and jewellery -- have skyrocketed post pandemic but organising committees are not prepared to pay more," he lamented. Artisans in the potters' colony in the western part of the city are still burning the midnight oil to ensure that idols of Goddess Durga and

Heavy rains may lash Kolkata during Durga Puja, organisers on tenterhooks

Durga Puja in Kolkata and southern West Bengal districts is likely to be rain-drenched this year with the Met department on Tuesday saying that a cyclonic circulation may form over northwest Bay of Bengal on October 1. Regional Met director GK Das said that the system is likely to cause heavy rain in Kolkata and other southern districts on October 2 -- Mahasaptami, the first day of the four-day festival. "Rainfall is likely on all four days of the festival, with heavier precipitation on October 2 and light to moderate rain till October 5 thereafter," Das said. The cyclonic circulation may intensify after formation on October 1, he said. The community puja organisers said they are taking all precautions to save the pandals and artwork. Bikash Majumder, the secretary of College Square Puja committee, said "We don't have control over nature but I am hopeful Maa Durga will ensure that we can celebrate the puja in a grand manner as in pre-pandemic times and there is no ...

Death toll rises to 39 in Bangladesh boat capsize, several missing

Bangladeshi authorities were racing against time on Monday to find any survivors of the boat accident involving Hindu devotees, even as the death toll in the incident rose to at least 39, mostly children and women. The devotees were heading towards the Bodeshwari Temple on the occasion of Mahalaya, the auspicious start of the Durga Puja festival, when the over-crowded boat capsized in the Korotoa River in the country's northwestern Panchagarh district. "Our rescuers retrieved nine more bodies (overnight)... search is continuing," a fire service official told reporters at the scene. Some bodies were found in a river in Dinajpur. The bodies had reportedly washed away due to strong current, another official said. Panchagarh Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Dipankar Roy said that a total of 39 bodies have been recovered so far. Among them, 11 are children, 21 are women and 7 are men, the Bdnews24.com reported. Media reports quoting relatives said 58 passengers were missing whi

Ad spends likely to get double-digit boost as festive cheer returns

Ad spend projected to be Rs 30,000 crore this time - growth of 15% over last year's Rs 26,000 crore