Durga Puja 2014 in Muscat

The four days of Durga Puja passed in a jiffy and here I am presenting the snapshot of the Pujo revelry in Muscat. This was the first time in my seven years in the Gulf that I could attend the Durga Pujo both in the morning and evening and witness most of the rituals and ceremonies with my husband and daughter. This Pujo was the most enlightening one, since I gathered a few tidbits about the pujo rituals too (Earlier I was not as serious about the Pujo rituals, all I can recollect is the fun part and still I am not as serious but it was fun knowing about the facts associated with every ritual which reinforced the dedication from my side). 

Apart from Durga Puja celebration by the Bengali Association of Muscat in the Shiva temple, another Bengali group performs Durga Puja in Seeb region (towards Waves in Muscat) with equal fervour and dedication and this year was their fourth year in a row. The venue is about 20km distance from Muscat city and this year it was our destination for all the fun and revelry associated with the Durga Puja. The Puja ceremonies were all performed in a villa, leaving sufficient space for prasad and bhog distribution, dhunuchi dance and activities for children too.

I came across many Bengalis from different parts of India; some from Bengal, some from North Eastern states and some expatriate friends who have settled in Muscat over the years and in this process I made some new friends too.

The Idols and the decor

The Durga idol was this time the size of dolls and some kids wanted to play with the Goddess dolls. The pandal design included the idols on a nauka (boat shaped) made from thermocol and beautifully decorated. The rituals were performed in all glory as usual. 

The Durga Puja Decor - Boat shaped pandal

Shashti ( Sixth day)

The Pujo began with Shashti with 'Bodhon' rituals wherein face of Durga is unveiled and this marks the beginning of the celebrations. The children in their best attire romped around the entire pujo premises while the ladies decked up in their best colourful saris and jewelry adorned the premises. The Gents too gathered around in groups with their Adda session in full swing too. 

Children in traditional attire

Beautiful Bengali ladies in their traditional best

Ashtami and Navami

We offered Pushapanjali on Navami (ninth day) morning and happened to miss the pushapanjali on other days since they were performed in the earlier part of the day. This time the Puja celebration of 5 days was shortened to four days with Navami day overlapping with the Ashtami and Dashami day. It was nice to watch the Sandhi Pujo which was performed by offering 108 lotuses and 108 diyas (earthen lamps) were lightened. This typical ritual is performed at the end of Ashtami and beginning of Navami. We all got a chance to light the diyas.

Lotus flowers, fruits, flowers being offered during Sandhi pujo

Lighting of 108 diyas during Sandhi pujo 

Dashami

The last day ended with Dashami Pujo followed by the customary 'Durga Boron' wherein before the Visarjan, married women do Aarti, touch paan leaves on the idols, apply sindoor to idols, put sweets on the lips of the idol.

Durgamaaer Boron 

Sindoor Khela

Thereafter is the most awaited event of the Day - Sindur Khela. Most of the ladies and my friends truly wait for this occasion, wherein they apply sindoor to each other and offer sweets. It is almost like playing 'Holi' again but with sindoor only and a much different feeling. Though both the festivals signify the victory of good over evil, 'sindur khela' is played solely by married women symbolizing married life. The ritual owns its origin to the fact that Durga Maa after her five-day stay at her mother's house goes back to her mother-in-law's house. So we give her a special treatment by offering sweets and performing aarti, and applying sindoor on her. I wasn't much aware of the procedure, but a gentle and sweet Mashima (an elderly lady) instructed me with the details. The younger members touch feet of the elders to seek blessings while the men embrace each other. 

A beautiful Bengali lady after sindoor khela

The Bhog

There were prasad and bhog distribution to all who came to offer obeisance to the Goddess. The bhog included all the Bengali delicacies including the khichuri, chutney and payesh on Ashtami day. Everyone who came enjoyed the sumptuous prasad and savored the sweets including laddoos, kalajamun, rosogullas, payesh, jalebis and gajar halwa too. The bhog on some days also included hot luchis, pulao, delicious cholar dal and not to forget the different chutneys each day including the tangy aamer (mango) chutney, the usual tomato chutney and pineapple chutney too.

Aamer chutney

Volunteers serving the bhog

A fun element in the Pujo was a Puchka stall from Kolkata and it did a good job every day selling off all its puchkas.

The Puchka stall

We also went to Shiva temple to offer our prayers to Goddess Durga on the Dashami morning. Since the day coincided with beginning of Eid holidays in Muscat, the temple was crowded in the morning, with lines of devotees standing to catch a glimpse of the Goddess. 

Dashmi morning -Durga Puja 2014 at Shiva temple, Muscat

The Shiva temple, Muscat on Dashami morning

This Durga Pujo was indeed a celebration filled with fun, lights, colors and sweets. In this era of digitization and Facebook, life has become totally mechanized, and these moments likes the ones spent during the Durga Pujo make us forget the outside world, at least  for the five days of Puja, and as we take refuge in the pandal life becomes  memorable endowed with the beautiful moments of joy, savoring and sharing sweets with friends, joking and poking at friends, togetherness with family and friends, and at the same time paying obeisance to the Goddess Durga. 

The crowd on the last day of the Pujo - Dashami night

So as we go back to our routine life; schools with scary teachers, offices with irritating bosses, home management with housewives dreading cooking, and so on... We look forward to all the fun and merriment again next year.

Quoting these lines that I dug up somewhere on the internet;
Dhaker Awaj holo mridu, Mayer hasi holo mlaan,
Eibar Mago biday tobe, Aashe bochor Abaar Hobe,
Sabai ke Ma rakhis sukhe,
Bijoya hok mishti muke.
Wishing all my family members and friends a 'Shubho Bijoya'.