Rains play havoc ahead of Navratri, Durga puja festivities

The Navratri and Durga Puja festivities are all set to commence in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) from Thursday, however, the current bout of heavy rainfall would have its impact on the events.

While Navratri commences with Ghat-staphana on Thursday and the Garba-Dandia festivities would start, the Durga Puja of the Bengali community commences next Tuesday.

In fact, this year, there had been rains during the Krishna Janamashtami-Dahi Handi celebrations on 15 August also during the 13-day-long Ganeshutsav from 26 August-5 September.

The rains over Tuesday and Wednesday, which was accompanied by strong winds, had its impact on the final preparations of erecting of pandals for the nine-day mega festival of the Hindu calendar during which people workshop Goddess Durga.

In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region comprising Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban and parts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts there are over 100-plus 'sarvajanik' Durga pooja celebrations conducted by the Bengali community.

Where ever Bengalis have settled, they have started Durgapooja. The tradition of Durgapooja in Mumbai is more than 100 years old," said Debasish Saha, the Treasurer of Pragati, a prominent association of the Bengali community in Vasai. He takes keen interest in affairs of Bengalis and is in touch with artistes.

The most prominent of the Durga Puja is held at the Shivaji Park at Dadar in central Mumbai.

While one of the oldest Durga-pooja is held in Kalbadevi – which is predominantly organized by goldsmiths and artisans. There are mega poojas like the pooja organized by Lokhandwala Sarvajanik Durgautsov Samiti spearheaded by singer Abhijeet. The Bollywood has its own share in the celebrations – while Abhijeet's programmes are held in Lokhandawala, the Mukherjee family holds their pooja in Santacruz and Kajol and Rani Mukherjee take keen interest in the celebrations.

There are some unique poojas too interests many – at Khar's Ramkrishna Mission kumari-pooja is held, while in Sion, officers and men of the IAF organize a pooja in a small way. On the other hand in Goregaon, a sarvajanik pooja is organized by an all-women association.

The Bengali population in this metropolis and its suburbs is nearly five to six lakh, according to an estimate. Such is the dedication to culture that in a far flung suburb like Vasai there are four Durga poojas – Pragati, Pragatisheel, Kaplataru and Bassien Bengal Club. Durga pooja is also about food and cultural events.

"The spectrum is very wide and it is time when all of us come together," said Sanjit Kundu , who is also involved in several social causes, said, adding that Durga pooja also means new clothes and a variety of traditional food. "We are keeping fingers crossed. We hope that the rains would subside. The maidans are wet, the pandals are in final stages," he said.