Durga Puja – A celebration of Goddess Durga

As October approaches, Bengal prepares for Durga Puja—a festival of faith, art, and celebration of Goddess Durga. For ten days, Kolkata surrenders to prayer, music, feasting, and family gatherings. The goddess Durga, victorious over evil, is honoured across the city. Every street hosts a stage, every idol surrounded by Gods Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Kartikeya. On the tenth day, she returns to the rivers, dissolving back into clay.

But before the festival, another story unfolds. In the heat of summer, artisans labour with straw, bamboo, and clay. Forms rise slowly, heads and hands sculpted separately, bound and shaped. Once dry, they are painted, dressed, and crowned. From earth and fibre, the goddess is born.

This tradition travels too. In a dim shed in Chennai, South India, far from Bengal, artisans recreate Goddess Durga for the small Bengali community here. They eat, sleep, and work in this space until the idols are ready—then move on, carrying their craft across India.

Here, Durga Puja is rare. To witness the making of these idols is to glimpse devotion shaped by hand. Language was a barrier, but kindness bridged it. The artisans welcomed me, letting me work quietly among them. When I returned with photographs from an earlier visit, smiles lit their faces.

In that simple exchange lay the spirit of the festival itself—the power of creation, the warmth of community, and the joy of giving.

Ashok Viswanathan FFIP, EFIAP, EPSA

The post Durga Puja – A celebration of Goddess Durga appeared first on Fuji X Passion.