When I sat and talked to my day (part 15)

I have to catch up a lot, hence these posts will become episodical.

The first day - 

Durga Puja, the biggest celebration of Bengali people across the globe, across the spectrum. It has been a festival of triumph - of good over evil, of strength over pride. As for me, I have been part of the Durga Puja at Copenhagen Denmark since 2013. The Puja is organized by the Bengali Cultural Association (BCAS) of Denmark, and is held every year for 5 days. It starts with the arrival and welcoming of Goddess Durga, the symbol of courage and passion who, according to the Hindu mythology, had single-handedly fought a war with a daemon called Mahishasura and had eventually killed him. The arrival happens on the Shashthi. As per the rituals, Devi Durga is welcomed with several items, like ornaments, perfume, garments, sweets among others to make her feel at home. 

I have been part of the BCAS organization as the main priest since 2017. How I landed up being a priest and how my spiritual journey started are accounted for in this magazine, in the article from me -

Sharad_Patra - Bangla magazine from BCAS

Back to 2026 and the first day of Puja, the 16th of October. Arriving at around 16:30 to the venue, and finding it hard to get a parking place close to the venue of the Puja hall, I did finally settle in. Thanks to the beautiful camaraderie we share with the other members of the Ritual Team of the Durga Puja, it was in no time that I started to feel at home. 

This time the hall where the Puja was held was different. Ironically, it was the same hall where I had  done the Puja for the very first time as head priest, back in 2017. The Mandap, or the place where the deities were installed, was on one side of the hall. The other end of the hall had a stage built for cultural events. 

Shashthi was the day for Bodhan (or awakening) of Devi Durga, and for Adhibas, which was a ritual to welcome Her to the place of worship. The best part of Durga Puja organized by the Bengali Cultural Association, Denmark was the beautiful organization of the deities, the amazing decoration and the near-perfect arrangement of the elements that were essential to perform the ceremony.

In the first few steps of the ceremony, we established connection to the basic elements of life, like water, air, Sun, the planets and above all, the mother Earth. How beautiful were the shlokas and mantras which we uttered with compelling devotion to make a pathway - from our soul to everything that is around us. It was believed, through historical accounts, that the early Aryans who had come to the sub-continent had first befriended the Ganges, the largest river of India. Then they had developed a powerful relation to the Sun and air! A glimpse of the gratitude to the river could be found in two of the verses of chanting which I did with pure intention, coming from my heart. The words should mix with the environment and create an enchanting experience - that was something for me to always keep in mind.

Next was the establishment of the Holy Pitcher. The Vishnu, the maintainer, lied on the top of the Ghata or the pitcher. The Shiva, the destroyer, stayed at the neck and the Brahma, the creator-eternal, was to be found at the bottom of the container. The Goddesses, like Devi Durga, encircled around the middle part of the pitcher. The water, fruit and cloth were either inside or encircling the pitcher - as if the entire 6000 years of the history of subcontinent got included inside and around one simple utensil!

Once the Holy Pitcher was established, we moved on to do early offerings at the feet of 9 branches of different fruit-bearing trees. The Durga Puja comes at a time of the year when the farmers can also involve themselves in the festivity through their farm-produce. The Nabapatrika or the holy Nine-Twigs formed a collage of devotion, thankfulness and hope for mankind, in unison with the Almighty!

The first day ended with the Bodhan, or the awakening of the Goddess Durga! The devotees wanted to welcome the Goddess to stay with them for the next few days and there were rituals performed with a special platter of offerings to make Her feel comfortable. We offered new cloth, new scent, flower, food, fruits and several other special offerings so that She felt satisfied.

[To be continued]