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Czech Bengali scholar lauds Kolkata’s creative spirit for preserving Durga Puja
Kolkata, Sep 8 (IANS) To Czech writer-researcher Martin Hribek, Durga Puja epitomises the “condensation of creative energy” and he believes that even if the traditional forms of worship were to somehow fade into oblivion, the city’s creative spirit has what it takes to bring them back.
“It’s amazing the form has been preserved. If you speak about preserving something you are implying its almost dying. I don’t think it’s going to die. It’s a young festival in many ways. The (aristocratic) family pujas (the ‘Bone Di Bari’ puja) may be fewer. Sometimes it happens that some forms fall into oblivion and then they are resurrected,” Hribek told IANS in a candid chat here.
Hribek, a professor of Bengali and Indian Studies, Institute of South and Central Asia, Charles University, Prague, was in the city for a illustrated lecture in Bengali, titled “Bideshir Chokhe Durgapujo” (‘Durga Puja in Foreign Eyes’) at Victoria Memorial here.
“I have much belief in the creative spirit of Calcutta and if it happens (if a form of puja dies) then somebody will take it up and revive it,” he said.
Asked whether any festival in the world could be compared to the sheer scale of Durga Puja — the biggest festival in this part of the country, Hribek likened the form of the celebration to Ganesh Chaturthi.
“Ganesh Chaturthi, to some extent, is very much comparable. The form is similar and also the history of nationalism involved is similar. Also, the the Santa Rosalia Festival, in Palermo in Italy, that celebrates Palermo’s patron saint with a week of festivities, including parades, fireworks, and music. It’s actually quite similar — they have pandals and statues. They even have the lightings,” he noted.
From 2000 to 2004, Hribek spent most of his time in Kolkata and its environs doing research on the festival as well as other annual pujas that mark the Bengali calendar. He soon became fascinated by the coexistence of multiple historic and contemporary layers within a single festival.
The puja is usually a five-day event with Sasthi, and the subsequent four days — Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami — translating into frenzied pandal-hopping (visiting marquees) in new clothes, meeting friends and family and stuffing oneself with traditional delicacies.
Puja celebrates the annual descent of Goddess Durga, the slayer of the demon Mahishashur, accompanied by her four children — Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati — on the Earth to visit her parents.
The goddess, astride a lion and wielding an array of weapons in her ten hands, stays for four days to eradicate all evil from the Earth before returning to her husband Lord Shiva at Kailash on Dashami.
This year, Puja runs from September 26-30.
“It’s like a window into the culture. It’s like a good place to start with because you will see different domains of culture reflected: from social structure to kinship to foods to anything,” Hribek highlighted.
In addition, what intrigues him most is the makeover that city goes through to accommodate the creativity and celebration.
“The way in which images mediate between past, present and possible futures and condensation of all this creativity and all this labour and talent which is given into this festival throughout these five days in the city which changes so much so that the police give out maps for their own citizens so that they can navigate through the corridors… it is all so intriguing,” he added.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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