New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played the 'dhak' at the inauguration of the community Durga Puja in Kolkata on Wednesday to kick off the festivities. She arrived at the Suruchi Sangha Puja pandal in New Alipore with her cabinet members Firhad Hakim and Aroop Biswas.
At the inauguration, CM Mamata Banerjee was seen playing dhak, a traditional drum-like instrument. The beat of the dhak is a notable sound of the Durga Puja season.
This year, the West Bengal government increased the grant for the Durga Puja organising committees in the state from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. Aside from this, CM Mamata declared September 30 to October 10 as a holiday period for Durga Puja in the state.
Durga Puja is one of the biggest festivals for the Bengali community. The Hindu festival of Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is a yearly celebration that honours the Hindu goddess Durga and commemorates her victory over Mahishasur.
This year, Durga Puja will begin on October 1 and will end on October 5.
To destroy Mahishasura, Goddess Druga appeared from the fusion of all the gods' energies in heaven. She had ten arms, and on each of them, she carried the most lethal weapon belonging to each God. All of Goddess Durga's weapons are sanctified during this time.
Durga puja has become an inseparable part of Indian culture with innumerable people celebrating this festival in their own unique way while pertaining to tradition. According to Hindu mythology, the goddess comes to her earthly abode at this time to bless her devotees.
Devotees dress in new garments, chant aartis, visit temples, hand out sweets, clean their homes, and some may even fast to express gratitude to the Goddess during this festival.