Far away from the motherland, the Durga Puja of the Chakraborty family has begun in Bengalian atmosphere at Rossbach, near Frankfurt, Germany. This family autumn festival is entering its sixth year this year. This puja is being organized by family members, close friends and relatives with the aim of keeping the tradition, culture and roots of Bengal intact in the land of exile. The festival has already started with the amalgamation of devotion, love and friendship. Their courtyards are filled with the spirit of cooperation and maternal adoration. This initiative to retain the traditional Bengali shardotsav customs and festival mood has gradually taken the form of a family get-together.
This Durgo festival will last for six days. From Shashti to the two-day Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashami, each day is decorated with puja rituals, feasts and traditional Bengali festivals. For Bengalis living abroad, this event is not only a religious event, but also a special occasion to reconnect with their culture and traditions.
One of the attractions of this year's Puja is Maa Durga's Chalchitra made in Kolkata's traditional kumortuli. As a sincere gift from close friends of the family, Gayatri and Devdipta, this rice picture reached far away in Rossbach, Germany. Abhik Dutt Chowdhury and Chaitali Dutt Chowdhury have played a special role in bringing the Chalchitra abroad. With their cooperation, a special touch of pottery and art heritage of Bengal has been added to this puja. There is also sincere cooperation in creating posters to promote Puja and make the festive atmosphere more attractive. Payal Shail, a close family friend, and her mother contributed to the poster's design. Their creative participation has enriched this event of the Chakraborty family.
Kumari Puja is one of the most important parts of Durgotsava of the Chakraborty family. This year also Rishika, the youngest member of the family, is being worshiped as a daughter in the seat of the goddess. According to Hindu religious tradition, female power is worshiped through Kumari Puja. This arrangement around little Rishika is a special moment of joy as well as devotion, love and respect for the family members.
Shatabdi Chakraborty, the family's homemaker, prepares the daily food for Puja. On the other hand, all the religious rituals and regulations of the Puja will be completed by the head of the family, Saptarshi Chakraborty. The collective effort, devotion and love of the family members is the main strength of this puja. This event is aimed at conveying the religious and cultural heritage of Bengali to the next generation even in the diaspora. The six-day festival will conclude on Wednesday, October 21, the day of Vijaya Dashami. Farewell to Goddess Durga will be done through Ghat Bisarjan, Sindoor playing and Dhunuchi dance. Along with the joyous festival, there will be the emotion of saying goodbye to mother and the anticipation of waiting for next year's shardotsav.
The success of this initiative of the Chakraborty family lies in embracing the tradition of Bengali festivals even far from the motherland, instilling love for Bengali culture in the new generation and sharing joy with friends and family. Chakraborty family's sixth year Durga Puja on Rossbach soil is therefore not just a family religious event, but a piece of Bengal in the heart of the diaspora. Where devotion, love, friendship and Bangaliana together create a unique atmosphere of Sharadotsav.