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Members of Old Market Durga Mandir Organisation inspecting the idols of Durga and Mahishasura at Durga Mandir, Marwari Patti in Dimapur on Monday.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Oct. 15: With the rhythmic beatings of the dhak (an Indian traditional drum) mingled with the sound of chants echoing across the every nook and cranny of India, Dimapur too is gearing up to celebrate Durga Puja with great pomp. The celebration of this popular festival begins on Tuesday in the city, while it begun on Oct. 15 in other parts of the country.
Since the past few days, citizens of Dimapur have been witnessing the preparation for the festival with idols of ‘Durga and Mahishasura,’ colourful garland, flowers, lights, and other decorative items made visible in most parts of the town.
In Nagaland, especially Dimapur, various non-Naga (Hindu) communities assemble and collect money to celebrate in their respective localities.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the president of Young Association, CD Mukherjee, who is sponsoring the event at Westyard colony, explained that ‘the festival is celebrated to mark the victory of goddess Durga over a buffalo demon, Mahishasura.’
Mukherjee said that the devotees in Dimapur would officially celebrate the festival from Tuesday, Oct. 16 till 19th. “We have been preparing for this event since the past few days. From collecting of clay to decorating the places is a ceremonial process. From tomorrow (Tuesday), we will offer food and drinks to anyone who comes to visit our ‘pandal’ (marquee),” he said.
“On the last day of the festival at 8 am, every section hosting the ‘pandal,’ will group up at City (Clock) Tower with their respective statue and will go to Dhansiri River to submerge the idol,” he said while adding that the deputy commissioner has allowed the communities to perform the ritual.
Another group by the name, ‘Old Market Durga Mandir Organisation’ was also seen preparing for the event at Marwari Patti. One of its secretaries, Chandu Agarwal, said that they have been celebrating the festival since 1950.
According to Agarwal, a colour used for decorating the marquee was painted with non-synthetic materials. He said that the decorating team was hired from Kolkata and musicians from West Bengal, while the idols were bought from Bokajan.
“We will offer food, sweets, and drinks for every visitors who visit the ‘pandal.’ After 7 pm, we will have a traditional ceremony to worship our god,” added Agarwal.
As reminded by Agarwal, the celebration of Durga Puja is not a new thing in Nagaland. Even among the locals, the spirit of the occasion has hardly failed to enliven the collective mood.
After all, there is nothing like the victory of good over evil —regardless of the different ways in which the gods are named and worshipped.