Durga Puja Research Articles

Spontaneous acts of everyday co-creation: somaesthetic study of affective placemaking in the case of Durga Puja, Kolkata

ABSTRACT Everyday participatory acts can lead to the co-creation of urban spaces even without the specific intention of dominant stakeholders. Such spontaneous co-creation is often triggered by macro-level urban events with significant affective value in placemaking. We explore the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata as a prominent example of this phenomenon. Utilising Richard Shusterman’s somaesthetic framework, we analyse how space is dynamically co-created by diverse ‘sentient, purposive bodies’, or somas. Our fieldwork and interviews map affective placemaking, examining somatic associations within dynamic spatial configurations. This is illustrated through examples of spontaneous community involvements that result in the co-creation of new types of places, without adhering to a pre-planned, predictable course. Two types of co-creation emerge: the first, more dominant, where everyday elements recede into the background through intrusive design motifs, and the second, where the everyday is the sole inspiration behind affective placemaking. The dominant model of co-creation highlights overarching themes, while the second type, explored through detailed case studies, offers a nuanced understanding of a place’s historicity, geographical context, and cultural significance. Strategies for blending into surroundings, rather than standing out, have significant implications for sustainable urban design that values affective placemaking.

Devi Temple, Pahari, Loharu Rulers and History: Understanding the People’s Mind

It is believed that Devi Temple, Pahari is 850 years old; however, neither the archival sources nor the inscriptions are available to authenticate the hearsay. But, a 1904 British document has reference to Pahari ki Mandhi. Hence, with reference to the examination of the 304 archival files about Loharu State in the National Archives of India, contemporary traditions, popular songs, interviews, newspaper reports, other digital media plate forms and so on, this article authenticates that Devi (Pahari Mata) is not only 120 years old, but its history goes far beyond. Nevertheless, it has also been observed that the people’s beliefs in Devi show that whether there is a written history or not, but it has marked deep imprints on their mind. Devi is in every sphere of people’s life. It can be authenticated from the popular songs sung during the Ratijaga. Further, the role of blue bloods in the renovation of Devi temple at different intervals of time, placing other deities in the temple complex, construction of 48 Dharamshala in the compound for the pilgrims, and so on have been studied. It also discusses the role of Loharu rulers in sociocultural and economic life of the people. The religious policies of the state have also been examined. Simultaneously, it has also discussed the fair during Durga Puja [every six months Chaitra (March) and Aasoj (October)] and its cultural activities and of course people’s enthusiasm.

Promoting sustainable development in festivals through ritual revisions

This study takes a process-oriented approach to answer the research question: how may long-standing religious festivals promote sustainable development by modifying various ritual elements? The contribution of one-time events to overarching long-term sustainability goals may be hindered predominantly by their transitory nature. Based on a case study, this research examines a 400-year-old annual Hindu festival, Durga Puja, as a potential contributor to sustainable development. The data comprises online news articles on the Durga Puja published between 2002 and 2022 in the Indian daily, The Times of India. Based on a thematic data analysis, the research findings highlight three processual themes related to altering various ritual elements: artefacts, scripts, performance roles and audience. These themes include subverting the patriarchal, adopting a proactive approach to invitation and facilitation, and incorporating visual storytelling. The study’s findings have theoretical implications regarding the broader discussions on sustainability, such as sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the potential of festivals to contribute to them through ritual modifications. As such, festival organisers, policymakers and practitioners may find the study helpful in promoting sustainable development through ritual changes in festivals.

Isolation and characterization of textile dye degrading Microbes from Ganga (Ganges) water

Among the most concerned environmental pollutions that are threatening our biodiversity, water pollution is a major one where effluents from dye-based industries. Textile industries consume a huge volume of azo dyes while up to 50% of dyes find its ultimate way in the water as effluent. In India, after many festivals like Durga Puja, idols are immersed in water. The dyes by which idols are painted affect aquatic livings. The structures of azo dyes consists coupling of diazotized amine with either an amine or a phenol and also contain azo linkage. Most of these dyes are potentially toxic to aquatic life and some are even carcinogenic and mutagenic to humans. Furthermore, colour of the dyestuff interrupts the aquatic environment by reducing light penetration, gas solubility and interference of phytoplankton’s photosynthesis. Unfortunately, most azo dyes are recalcitrant to aerobic degradation by bacterial cells. However, there are microorganisms that have the ability to reductively cleave azo bonds under aerobic conditions. So our goal is to isolate and identify some potential dye degrading bacteria from polluted Ganga water and characterize them biochemically.

The Industry of Idol-Making in Kolkata: A Survey in the Light of UNESCO Recognition

This study is a review based on primary and secondary data to depict the past scenario and present scenario of idol makers of Kumortuli and Kalighat Poto Para, Kolkata, who traditionally indulged in the craftsmanship of idol-making of different gods and goddesses. Bengal has a rich tradition of worshipping Goddess Durga in different forms and this festival reaches a new height when it joins on the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) list of UNESCO (2021). Our findings showcase the evolution of the historic and social significance of the Durga Puja festival from ancient times to the recent and its economic impact in the modern-day society in terms of historical evidence of class among the artisans; the role of urbanization; labor migration; environmental issues and so on. Furthermore, the public policies adopted in this regard are highly appreciable as they try to involve marginalized groups and individuals as well as women in their initiatives in safeguarding this ICH.

Idol immersion in Ichhamati river and its impact on water quality parameters

A preliminary study was undertaken in Ichhamati river, Bongaon, N-24 Parganas, West Bengal to evaluate the impact of idol immersion after Durga puja on water quality parameters. Different important physico-chemical parameters were considered for this study as temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, nitrate, phosphate, silicate and phytoplankton, as well as zooplankton community structure. Dissolved oxygen (DO) showed an inverse relation with pH showing the maximum (5.68) and minimum (2.3) values during and after immersion, respectively. During the immersion time, the turbidity and nutrient readings were much higher, indicating a high pollution level. During the whole study period, There was no perceptible difference in temperature. During immersion, the plankton population displayed maximum abundance and little variety, characterised primarily by one or two species that thrived in dirty water. Overall diversity was found to be highest prior to immersion and steadily deteriorated after immersion. The study clearly demonstrates the negative effects of religious activity on the river, and the essential actions should be properly followed in accordance with government requirements.

The Traditional Songs of the Assamese: Voice and Connection

The Traditional Songs of the Assamese: Voice and Connection The folk songs of Assam are mainly associated with rites and rituals; these folk songs reflect the livelihood of the Assamese community. The songs are related to Shitala Puja, Koli burhi nritya, Gopini naam, biya naam and Bihu geet, which have a unique position in traditional singing among the Assamese community. Sitala is a folk goddess and it is believed that she has is an intimidating presence who distributes infected pulses in village markets, or sends hordes of disease-demons, thus causing outbreaks of smallpox and other contagious illnesses. Only when properly worshipped she agrees to heal her victims (Ferrari 2015:2). The women sing Aai Naam to please the Goddess Shitala as she is described as the deification of smallpox. Koli burhi nritya is associated with Magh Bihu, which is a post-harvest festival, held in January. Koli burhi is an Assamese term, which means a black woman. Women put the burning banana leaves on their bodies and sing the song which is known as Koli burhi nrityar geet(the songs of black women). It is believed that burning banana leaves removes all the obstacles from their life. Durga Puja is a famous festival held in India and during this puja (The English term of puja is ritual) the Assamese women sing Gopini Naam to please the Goddess Bhagavati or Kamakhya (a form of Goddess Durga). Songs related to marriage are also very significant among the Assamese community, and these marriage songs are known as Biya naam. The song related to Bihu, which is the main harvest festival of Assam, held in mid-April, is known as Bihu geet. Merriment, love and sad these feelings are described through these Bihu geet. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the traditional singing that is related to rituals among the communities of Assam, India.

Assessment of Community Behavior and COVID-19 Transmission during Festivities in India: A Qualitative Synthesis through a Media Scanning Technique.

In India during the first wave of COVID-19 infection, the authorities were concerned about the advent of the festive season, which could lead to a surge in cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The present study attempted to assess the socio-behavioral aspects of COVID-appropriate behavior (CAB) at individual and community levels, and their impact on the transmission of COVID-19 during festivities in India. Media scanning was conducted to qualitatively assess CAB by analyzing 284 news reports from across India; quantitative data on COVID-19 daily cases from March 2020 to December 2020 were used to determine the trends of the adjusted test positivity (ATP) ratio for six cities. Peaks in ATP were observed in Chandigarh, Delhi-NCR in North India during and after Dussehra and Deepavali, and in Mumbai, in the west, after Navratri. Additionally, a surge in ATP was observed in Trivandrum after Onam and in Chennai around Deepavali in the south; meanwhile, in the eastern city of Kolkata, cases increased following Durga Puja. The major challenges were adherence to CAB viz. social distancing, hygiene, and compliance with the mask mandate. Microlevel CAB indicated relatively higher laxity in maintaining hand hygiene in all cities. Observations from the current study indicate that innovative community-driven initiatives during festivals in each geographical zone are key to the large-scale implementation of disease prevention measures.

Ritual Revision During a Crisis: The Case of Indian Religious Rituals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Rituals, particularly religious rituals, may play a significant role in times of crises. Often, these rituals undergo revision to adapt to the changing needs of the time. This article investigates recent unofficially revised Hindu religious rituals as performed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multifarious creative interplay between Hindu tradition and change is illustrated through four cases: the religious festival of Durga Puja, the devotional songs or bhajans, the ritual of lighting lamps or diyas, and the fire rituals or havans. The authors offer a systematic discourse analysis of online news articles and YouTube posts that illuminate several aspects of ritual revision during unsettled times. They focus on the changes that were made to ritual elements: who controlled these alterations, how these modifications were made, and what potential benefits these revisions offered to the community of ritual participants. The authors highlight public policy implications regarding the involvement of diverse social actors, the creation of faith in science, the creation of feelings of unity and agency, and the amplification of local ritual modifications on a national scale.

Live-streaming the goddess in the times of COVID-19: a digital ethnography of diasporic Durga Puja festivals in pandemic Britain

ABSTRACT Diasporic Durga Puja festivals in contemporary Britain have emerged as focal points in the religious lives of Hindu Bengalis. However, the public health measures introduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to host in-person indoor Durga Puja festivals in Britain in the autumn of 2020. In response, many UK-based Durga Puja organisers staged small-scale ritual worship of the goddess in private, and then livestreamed it to their members through social media. Based on participant observation of these festival livestreams and remote interviews with Durga Puja organisers from across Britain, in this article I demonstrate that far from being a rupture, these blended Durga Puja festivals mark a development in existing templates of mediatisation of religious practices and are part of the wider continuum of adaptations that characterise diasporic lived religion. I also reflect on how internal hierarchies within the diaspora played out vis-à-vis blended Pujas amidst the pandemic.

Covid 19 and the Durga Puja Decoration Artisans of West Bengal: Mapping the Crisis of an Unorganized Sector in South Asia

The sufferings of the unorganized sector have increased manifold in the current times, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in developing countries like India. The present study attempts to examine the precarious conditions of the decoration artisans of Krishnanagar (Nadia District) and Kumartuli (Kolkata City) areas of West Bengal, India during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall analysis comparing the Pre-COVID-19 situations with the situation conditioned by the pandemic indicates a significant loss of annual turnovers during the times of the pandemic. The rise in the price of raw materials and shortage of labour supply caused by lockdowns and Covid-related restrictions have affected the livelihood mechanisms of the decoration artisans in both places. This has severely affected the market distribution chain of the artefacts of the decoration artisans encompassing the Indian and international markets. The study attempts to provide some policy recommendations for the survival of the decoration artisans which can assist the government and policymakers towards sustainable planning and provision of inclusive growth which is very important in the context of the addition of Durga Puja to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, preserving both heritage and economy in the long run.

Covid 19 and the Durga Puja Decoration Artisans of West Bengal: Mapping the Crisis of an Unorganized Sector in South Asia

Covid 19 and the Durga Puja Decoration Artisans of West Bengal: Mapping the Crisis of an Unorganized Sector in South Asia

DURGA PUJA IN KOLKATA: A CULTURAL DIASPORA OF CELEBRATION

Kolkata is one of the most popular cities in the world when it comes to celebrating life. And Durga Puja is not just the emotion of the Bengali community; rather it is a larger than life experience for whoever attends it. UNESCO has also accredited Kolkata Durga Puja as the ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Community’. In this paper, I have tried to cover some of the aspects of Durga Puja. First a brief introduction has been given on Durga Puja in Kolkata followed by the basic and detailed identification and description of the Goddess and the process, mentioning the intrinsic repertoires for the celebration. In the further sections I have tried to mention some explanations of certain ceremonial rituals performed on different days of the festival. A brief discussion on the changing pattern of the celebration is also added with a chronology of recorded Durga Puja events. Furthermore there is also a section about the latest attraction of the festival- the Carnival. In my paper, I have also mentioned about the local artisans who are behind every aspect of this festive season. Lastly, I have concluded by mentioning how this festival is no less than a cultural confluence of every community.

Seasonal Transformation of Urban Space: A Case Study during Durga Puja

Seasonal Transformation of Urban Space: A Case Study during Durga Puja

An Unwonted, Pedagogic Case Report on Effort Thrombosis of Right Brachial Vein

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one or more blood clots formed inside the deep vein in the body resulting in complete or partial blockage of blood flow through the affected vein. Upper Extremity DVT (UEDVT) accounts for 5% - 10% of all cases of DVTs. Previously it was thought to be a rare disorder. However in recent years with the advent of various indwelling intravenous devices, hypercoagulable state like COVID-19, secondary UEDVT did not remain infrequent presentation anymore. Though primary UEDVT, also known as Effort Thrombosis, that takes place without any underlying obvious pathology is a rare form till now. We presented a case of 46 years female who presented to the emergency with complaints of progressively increasing pain (7 days) and swelling (3 days) of her right forearm since last 7 days following strenuous and heavy work by her dominant/ right hand during the period of festival. She initially ignored her condition because of the Durga Puja festival. As her symptoms deteriorated she eventually had to attend the emergency department. Eventually an urgent ultrasonography color Doppler was done on emergency basis which diagnosed underlying DVT of her right brachial vein. She was managed with low molecular weight heparin, urgent fasciotomy owning to her impending compartment syndrome. Other tests ruled out any secondary underlying pathology. She improved and discharged without any complications on oral anticoagulant. Exigent events in her history were trauma followed by fall on her right elbow 2 months back and then presenting signs & symptoms commencing at the same region following strenuous, tedious activities over 7 days and consequential effort thrombosis of her right brachial vein. All of that compelled us to ruminate on rare differentials of her presentation and eventually come to this rare diagnosis. The author hence brought this pedagogic case to the readers, especially emergency & primary care physicians and emphasised the importance of being intuitive about rare but deadly differentials which come from proficiency & experience in the field of medicine.

Gastro-nostalgia: towards a higher order measurement scale based on two gastro festivals

ABSTRACT Recently nostalgia has received attention from academic researchers for increasing destination attractiveness and tourist footfalls. Despite increasing interests in food tourism, little research exists regarding gastro-nostalgia to motivate tourists for visiting gastro-festivals. The current study identifies six potential dimensions of gastro-nostalgia through extant literature review viz., cuisine, gastro-experience, gastro-festive ambiance, socialization, personal identity, and cultural identity. Furthermore, it developed a robust instrument for measuring gastro-nostalgia as a reflective-reflective second-order construct using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The study collected perceptual responses from tourists and individuals having positive memories associated with two prime gastro-festivals in India: (a) Durga puja (221 responses) and (b) Onam (257 responses). The instrument is empirically validated through factorial validity, nomological validity, and measurement invariance. The study showed that gastro-nostalgia could positively influence tourists’ willingness to recommend intentions and revisit intentions. The study offers several implications for destination managers and event managers.

The Durga Puja pop-up exhibition at the National Museum of Finland. Designing and hosting an exhibition as university educationmuseum collaboration

In autumn 2018, eight Museum Studies students from the University of Helsinki had the opportunity to put theory into practice and to gain hands-on experience making a real exhibition. The ‘Museum Content Planning’ course was a collaborative project between the National Museum of Finland and the university in which the students, together with the museum staff, built a pop-up exhibition about the Indian festival Durga Puja in only five weeks. The exhibition showed in the National Museum for two weeks, and the students were involved in most stages of the exhibition’s development. They also blogged about their learning experience. In this case study, we present our reflections on both the benefits and challenges of collaboratively creating an exhibition, which is simultaneously an accredited learning experience for university students.

IMPACT OF IDOL IMMERSION ON WATER AND SEDIMENT QUALITY IN THE RIVER MAYURAKSHI AT SAINTHIA, DIST. BIRBHUM, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

The country of India is the unique where different cultural heritage as well as festivals were found. Mainly the West Bengal state is known as various religious festivals, but Durga Puja is one of the biggest and end of this festival idol are immersed in the water bodies. Sainthia town found in the district of Birbhun, West Bengal, India which is present in the south bank of the Mayurakshi river. The idol immersion mainly effect on water as well as sediment quality of this river Mayurakshi near railway bridge at Sainthia. The study will be discussed for immersion effect of this sampling station, because in this point totally Sainthia town Durga idols were immersed. The water and sediment samples were collected at 7:30 am on 9th October 2019 during pre-immersion (before immersion) and 7:30am on 10th October 2019 during the post immersion (after immersion) in this time of periods. Mainly, the Durga idols are been made up by non-biodegrable substances such as clay, plaster of paris, cloths, paper woods, thermocols, jutes and synthetic paints etc. these are mainly toxic substances. Over all the used materials in making of idol, the thermocol is nonbiodegradable while paints contained highly toxic heavy metals like Cr, Cd and Pb. In this study has been made to analysis the physicochemical parameters like temperature, pH, TS, TDS, TSS, EC and three heavy metals like Cr, Cd and Pb on the collected water and sediment samples of the Mayurakshi river on before and after idol immersion periods of near railway bridge sampling station. The analysed results by based on various physicochemical parameters showed that the after immersion in the river Mayurakshi increases concentration of heavy metals and changes other physicochemical parameters of the both water and sediment samples. Finally concluded that, these changes of different parameters are harmful for aquatic life and human beings as well as the level of water pollution highly increases in this Mayurakshi river. So, the huge religious activities mainly causes of the water pollution where huge disturbing aquatic ecosystem.

Book Review

Book Review

A similarity based hybrid GWO-SVM method of power system load forecasting for regional special event days in anomalous load situations in Assam, India

This paper offers a novel method of power system load forecasting (PSLF) for regional special event days (RSEDs) when the load demand is highly prejudiced by societal considerations like cultural or religious rituals. These rituals abruptly change the consumer behaviors (demand variations) and it makes the load profile of such RSEDs more complex and nonlinear than normal holidays. Therefore, during RSEDs, an accurate PSLF method must integrate these consumer behaviors in the forecasting process. For this purpose, the offered method uses a new concept of similarity. The offered method is based on support vector machine (SVM) hybridized with a new algorithm called grey wolf optimizer (GWO) to access the proper parameter combinations of SVM for PSLF on RSEDs. This research is carried out in Assam and the novel method is designed to forecast electric power load demand in three RSEDs called Rongali Bihu, Durga Puja, and Diwali. The forecasting results of the offered method demonstrate superior accuracy while compared to the traditional method of training the PSLF system on the data of recent holidays. The efficacy of the offered method is upheld by comparing the forecasting performances with four different standard and recent methods namely, SVM, ANN, PSO-SVM and GA-SVM.