Dover Lane Music conference and Indian Classical music

I have been fascinated by Hindustani classical music. When I was only 8 years old I used to learn drawing, poetry and Tabla from Bani Chakra, opposite Deshapriya Park, with the insistence of my mother.

Later with the insistence of Mainakda, my maternal cousin, I started learning Tabla from Shri Anil Palit (Mainakda is also a disciple of Guruji) , disciple of Pt Kishen Maharaj, legend of Benaras Gharana. He is a recipient of highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. He fled his house at a young age to be trained under Pt Kishen Maharaj at Benaras. After entering the class I was suppose to do Pranam/blessing by touching his feet (which I used to dislike and often avoided it, until I am reminded by him to do it!!!) and buy Pan for him (which I rarely did!!!) .

In fact Didi (my sister) , Mita(my cousin) and Bubludi (our neighbour) , later , used to learn classical vocal music from Deoshankarji ( closed friend of Anil Palit ) , because of insistence of Chorda (Supriyo Datta - another cousin , Professor in Engg. of Purdue University ,USA and a great lover of music. Every year he used to come to Calcutta during winter holidays. Since we also used to idolize him, Didi and Mita (di) could not refuse him. He is an authority on Nano Technology in all over the world. I have been told, he might even get Nobel Prize for his seminal work). Anil Palit used to play Tabla in the class (like all Ustads his knowledge of vocal was also very good and used to supplement Deoshankarji when he was absent). Didi, Mita and Bubludi sometimes used to come to our house for reyaz (practice) in the afternoon under the guidance of my mother. Every year on an auspicious day we used to have Guru Purnima , where he had to worship him and all other gurus of Benaras Gharana( or Benaras school of music) like Kanthe Maharaj, Kishen Maharaj and of course Anil Palit. In the evening of Guru Purnima, we used to go Lake Road (Kolkata- 29) to Sanghamitra Gupta's house for an evening soiree. There I saw Anil Palit playing some amazing Tabla - often one hand. He used to utter words like "Ki Vichitra....." and then play it in Tabla.

Anyway, my talent of music was extremely poor and could not progress much. After some Didi and Mita stopped going to the class. But I became attracted to Hindustani Classical music thanks to some captivating records of Nikhil Bannerjee (Malkauns) and Shiv Kumar Sharma (Malkauns and Chandrakauns). My knowledge of its grammar is rather limited.

I also became fan of Western Classical music thanks to an enchanting record "Joy" featuring Mozart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mChJmHWLpII 9th symphony) , Beethoven, and Bach......

We first went to see a live classical music programme at Dover lane music conference (at Vivekananda Park) with Naba, Mita, Didi and Debashish (our neighbour). Jethu (uncle - Anindya Datta, who was professor of Economics, New Hampshire, USA) sometimes used to come to Kolkata and he gave us money to purchase ticket to see the Dover lane music conference. It is regarded as one of the most famous conferences in India. It is every artists dream to come to Dover lane music conference and that TOO IN KOLKATA. In fact almost all the artists respectfully acknowledge this before starting the programme. The Dover Lane Music Conference held every January celebrates the tradition of Indian Classical music. It is also said that Kolkata has the finest connoisseurs of Western classical music in India. After the programme we went inside Green room to take the autograph of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He autographed in Bengali. Later some other day Didi and Mita also took the autograph of Ustad Zakir Hussain(Punjab Gharana) and became fan of Zakir due to his charismatic character and also interacted with him.

That is how my association with Dover lane music conference started. I can safely say I am going there for last 20 years (although not every year - because I was out of Calcutta for quite some time). It is like going to Woodstock. Every year I try to go there, whether tickets are given by Jethu (Anindya Datta) or standing in front of Nazrul Mancha (place where Dover Lane conference is being held) at 10.30 pm. Normally it starts from 8 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. .It goes on for 3-4 days. Many people (mostly from organizers) sell the ticket in black market in front of the hall. I invariably target those who come out of the hall after attending 2 and half hours programme!! Most of the time, I buy the ticket from them at a cheaper rate (say Rs. 80- Rs100). Some kind soul sometimes gives it for free!! (Actually due to my active life, it is quite difficult to tell when I will be free to see the programme. This seems to be a better option for me). Once (2006 or 2007) we (Ma and me) got a VIP ticket and I sat in the front seat, just beside Governor of West Bengal, Gopal Krishna Gandhi!

This year, Anindya came all the way from Siliguri to see the Dover Lane music conference. I was also there as usual. But this year is special!

Today I have been able to enter the greenroom and got some photos and videos of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Rashid Khan with my spy camera!

Just before the start of his(Amjad) programme at 2.55 a.m.; Rashid Khan has just finished his song.

Amjad Ali Khan practising in the greeroom with Tanmoy Bose and Samir Chatterjee at 2.30 a.m. Rashid Khan was singing at this point of time.

Anindya touching the feet of Rashid Khan and Amjad Ali Khan after the end of the programme at 6 .30 a.m.

Rashid Khan at 3.05 a.m. in the greenroom on 26th Jan 2009. Anindya taking blessing of Rashid Khan.

Some of my favourites Ragas are:
1. Malkauns - I can probably listen to them non stop for 365 days!
a) Sitar: Nikhil Bannerjee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DwI3bbXGlA

b) Sarod: Amjad Ali Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwE-G0CFgtg&feature=related
c) Senhai Bismillah Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hveeMDC6Dro&feature=related
2. Chandrakauns
a) Santoor etc. : Indus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pDrTo3ajEY
b) Flute: Hariprasad Chaurasia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5h19sgkuGk&feature=PlayList&p=BA00533AF53C9213&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10
c) Jaltarang:Milind Tulankar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q3_feKINcY
d) Sitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4tau7qStic
e) Sitar: Habib Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpJNv-61yY&feature=related
3. Darbari Kanada
a) Sarod: Amjad Ali Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTh2gk6L4EI
b) Sitar: Vilayat Khan and Kishan Maharaj http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH0A1L0mchk&feature=related
Vilayat Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v6r0OrnIAc
4. Asavari:
a) Sarangi : Surjit Singh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C1k1-WUB-4
5. Bhairavi:
a) Sitar : Nikhil Bannerjee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDKrFcFIfm8
6. Madhukauns
a) Sarangi : Md. Aslam Khan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PySy05HUErs
Ravi Shankar with George Harisson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLZ-zW9Ti4&feature=fvw

I recommend beginners should start with these Ragas only. The collections here are handpickedand lot of thought has been given to it. They are probably the most popular Ragas too. In fact most of the religious songs have their genesis in Raga Malkauns.

Time of playing different important Ragas:

1. Raga Ahir Bhairav (daybreak) (tintal)
2. Raga Alhaiya Bilaval (late morning) (tintal)
3. Raga Asavari (late morning) (tintal)
4. Raga Bageshri (midnight) (tintal)
5. Raga Bhairav (daybreak) (tintal) Hariprasad Chaurasia (tintal)
6. Raga Bhimpalasi (early afternoon) (tintal)
7. Raga Bhupal Todi (morning) (jhaptal)
8. Raga Bhupali (early night) (ektal)
9. Raga Bihag (late night) (tintal)
10. Raga Bilaskhani Todi (morning) (tintal)
11. Raga Chandrakauns (late night) (tintal)
12. Raga Darbari Kanada (midnight) (tintal)
13. Raga Desh (late night) (tintal)
14. Raga Durga (late night) (tintal)
15. Raga Hansadhvani (early night) (tintal)
16. Raga Hindol (after midnight or early morning) ( dhamar tal)
17. Raga Jaijaivanti (late night) (tintal)
18. Raga Jaunpuri (late morning) (tintal)
19. Raga Jhinjhoti (any time; late night) (tintal)
20. Raga Jog (late night) (tintal)
21. Raga Kafi (any time; midnight) (addha tintal)
22. Raga Kedar (early night) (tintal)
23. Raga Khamaj (late night) (tintal)
24. Raga Kirvani (night) (tintal)
25. Raga Lalit (before sunrise) (ektal)
26. Raga Madhuvanti (late evening) (tintal)
27. Raga Malkauns (late night) (tintal)
28. Raga Maru Bihag (early night) (addha tintal)
29. Raga Marva (sunset)(ektal)
30. Raga Megh (any time Rainy season)(jhaptal)
31. Raga Miyan Ki Malhar (any time Rainy season; midnight) (tintal)
32. Raga Miyan Ki Todi (late morning) (tintal)
33. Raga Pilu (any time) (addha tintal)
34. Raga Puriya (sunset) (tintal)
35. Raga Puriya Dhanashri (sunset) -(tintal)
36. Raga Puriya Kalyan (evening) (tintal)
37. Raga Shri (early evening in Winter season) (tintal)
38. Raga Shuddh Kalyan (early night) (tintal)
39. Raga Tilak Kamod (late night) (ektal)
40. Raga Yaman (early night) ( tintal)

One of the unique characteristics of Indian music is the assignment of definite times of the day and night for performing Raga melodies. It is believed that only in this period the Raga appears to be at the height of its melodic beauty.

There are some Ragas which are very attractive in the early hours of the mornings; others which appeal in the evenings, yet others which spread their fragrance only near the midnight hour.

There are Ragas associated with the rainy season (Raga Megha and Raga Malhar), the autumn season (Raga Basant) and the spring season (Raga Bahar). Seasonal Ragas can be sung and played any time of the day and night during the season allotted to them. The obligation of time in case of such melodies is relaxed.

This connection of time of the day or night, with the Raga is based on daily cycle of changes that occur in our own moods and emotions which are constantly undergoing subtle changes in that different moments of the day arouse and stimulate different moods and emotions. The mental and emotional responses in the autumn or winter or during the rainy season are different from the spring. Each Raga or Ragini is associated with a definite mood or sentiment that nature arouses in human beings.

In the beginning, music was confined to rituals, worship and prayers. As specified seasons and hours of day and night were fixed for different religious rites, music relating to them came to be associated with such time and later on these times were crystallized into rigid rules. In time, music ceased to be confined to religion, and with the patronage of kings it took its home in the royal courts. From here, the original rules of time were slackened and revised by the order of those kings.

Ragas having their Vadi/King/ main note in the Poorvang region (Sa - Pa) are usually played during evening and Ragas having their Vadi note in the Uttarang region (Pa - Sa) are usually performed during morning.

Ragas to be performed during the hours of twilight and dusk, when neither the day, nor the night dominate, are called Sandhi Prakash Ragas. The approximate allotted time of such melodies is between 4 and 7 in the morning or evening.

The 24 hour period is divided into 8 beats each three hours long, as follows:

• 1. 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. first beat of the day. Daybreak; Early Morning; Morning;

• 2. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 2nd beat of the day. Late Morning; Noon; Early Afternoon;

• 3. 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 3rd beat of the day. Afternoon; Late Afternoon;

• 4. 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. 4th beat of the day. Evening Twilight; Dusk (sunset); Early Evening;

• 5. 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. first beat of the night. Evening; Late Evening;

• 6. 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. 2nd beat of the night. Night; Midnight;

• 7. 1 a.m. - 4 a.m. 3rd beat of the night. Late Night

• 8. 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. 4th beat of the night. Early Dawn; Dawn (before sunrise); Morning Twilight;

Tansen or Miyan Tansen or Ramtanu Pandey (born 1493 or 1506 at Behat near Gwalior, India) is known as the Sangeet Samrat - meaning the Monarch of Indian Music who holds the most distinguished position in the arena of Indian cultural tradition. He was the foremost musician of the Royal Court of Akbar. Known to have created many ragas, which now hold prominent position in Hindustani music, Miyan Tansen left a treasure-house of music as his legacy. He is amongst the greatest composer-musicians. The son of Makrand Ram Pandey, a poet, gifted musician and a temple priest in Varanasi, he improvised and popularized rabab, originating from Central Asia.

Tansen, one of the Navaratnas (nine jewels) in the famed court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, was conferred the title Miyan, an honorific title that means a learned man. Muhammad Ghaus became his spiritual master and Tansen’s name finds mention in the Shuttari Tariqat, the lineage founded by the master. He married Husseini. He is supposed to have died in 1586 or 1589. His final resting place is Gwalior at the mausoleum complex of Shaykh Muhammad Ghaus, his Sufi guru, indicating that he was a prominent disciple.

Fusion of Music

Tansen influenced the fusion of Central Asian and Persian ornamentation with Indian classical music creating the texture that is Hindustani classical music, which were further enriched by Tansen’s disciples. Most Gharana claim some connection with Tansen lineage.

His raga compositions in the Hindustani tradition usually had ‘Miyan ki’ (of the Miyan) prefixed such as Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Miyan ka Bhairav (known today as Bhairav), Miyan ka Sarang, Miyan ki Malhar, and Miyan ki Mand. He created major ragas including Darbari Kanada, Rageshwari and Darbari Todi. He authored the important documents on music namely Rajmala and Sangeeta Sara.The Dhrupad style of singing was formalized mainly through the practice of such composers as Tansen, Haridas and Baiju Bawra, a contemporary.

Sarod (Persian word) emerged from the infusion of the ideas of Tansen on the rabab to the veena. Sarod which does not have frets has become very popular today. The famous qawwals is said to belong to the lineage from Miyan Tansen. Legends abound about his melodious voice that he could make it rain with Raga Megh Malhar or light fires with Raga Deepak.

Singers are always accompanied with the tanpura or the harmonium.

Indian Classical music is mainly divided into two branches, North and South.

A music, which follows certain characteristics are called classical - in opposition to Western classical music, where classical means belonging to a period of time (approximately from 16th to 17th century). All classical music follows this rule even if some completely different styles exist side by side.

Indian classical music has 7 basic notes, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni, with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music

Another division of ragas is the classification of ragas under five principal:

1. Hindol,

2. Deepak,

3. Megh,

4. Shree

5. Maulkauns

From these five ragas, other ragas are derived. Each of the five ragas has five raganis under them. There are 25 raganis for the above five ragas.

Further derivatives from these raga and raganis resulted in attaching to each principal raga, 16 secondary derivatives known as upa-raga and upa-raganis.

All the ragas are supposed to have been derived from their thaat.

Every raga has a fixed number of komal (soft) or tewar (sharp) notes, from which the thaat can be recognized.

In other words, a certain arrangement of the 7 notes/Surs with the change of shuddh, komal and tewar is called a thaat.

About Thaat or Scales

The set of Seven Notes or Scale which can produce a Raga is called a Thaat in Urdu or Hindi and raga produces a Song. In other words a thaat is defined as that set of seven notes from which a Raga can be made.

The system of classification for the ragas, in different groups is called a thaat.

There are again several systems of classification of the raga. Presently in Indian or Pakistani Classical Music the 10 Thaat (Scales) classification of raga is prevalent.

If you want to learn how to play keyboard or harmonium, the practice of thaat is important.

If you want to bring beauty in music , then raga practice is important.

If you learn one thaat or scale then you can play many songs in that particular thaat or scale.

There are certain rules for these that:

• Thaat must have seven notes in ascending order.

• Thaat has only one Arohan (or Arohi) or Ascent.

• Thaat are not be sung, only played, but the ragas produced from Thaat are sung. You can play music of film songs with thaat.

• Thaat are named after the popular raga of that Thaat.

e.g. Bhairavi is a popular raga and the thaat of the raga Bhairavi is named after the raga.

Raga - Thaat

Piloo - Kafi

Kafi - Kafi

Mand - Bilawal

Dhani - Kafi

Bhairavi - Bhairavi

Gaud Malhar - Kafi

Miyan Malhar- Kafi

Ahir Bhairav - Bhairav

Asavari

Bairagi - Bhairav

Basant - Poorvi

Bhoopali Todi - Bhairavi

Bhatiyar - Bhairav

Bilawal - Bilawal

Bilaskhani Todi - Bhairavi

Bhairav - Bhairav

Desi - Asavari

Gurjari Todi - Todi

Nat Bhairav - Bhairav

Lalit - Poorvi

Jaunpuri - Asavari

Hindol - Kalyan

Todi - Todi

Poorvi - Poorvi

Madhuvanti - Todi

Bhimpalasi - Kafi

Multani - Todi

Bhoopali - Kalyan

Kamod - Kalyan

Desh - Khamaj

Yaman Kalyan- Kalyan

Hansadhvani- Bilawal

Khamaj - Khamaj

Yaman- Kalyan

Shuddh Kalyan- Kalyan

Maru Bihag - Kalyan

Puriya Dhanashri- Poorvi

Puriya - Marwa

Pahadi - Bilawal

Marwa- Marwa

Shree - Poorvi

Bahar- Kafi

Tilak Kamod - Khamaj

Bageshri - Kafi

Charukeshi

Malhar - Kafi

Raageshri - Khamaj

Nand - Kalyan

Malkauns- Bhairavi

Shivranjani - Kafi

Jhinjhoti- Khamaj

Kirwani

Chandrakauns

Kedar- Kalyan

Darbari - Asavari

Durga- Bilawal

Jaijaiwanti - Khamaj

Hamir - Kalyan

Bihag - Kalyan

What is a Raga?

The combination of several notes woven into a composition in a way, which is pleasing to the ear, is called a Raga or Raag. The raga is an Indian scale which utilizes varying ascending and descending patterns – certain notes on the way up and certain notes on the way down – but always in the set sequence. The raga never has less than five notes - the minimum required for a tune. Each raga creates an atmosphere, which is associated with feelings and sentiments. Any stray combination of notes cannot be called a Raga.

We can ascribe to a raga certain meta-characteristics that define a Raga:

. Every raga is said to be born/derived of a Thaat which is its parent. Every raga is composed of notes.

• A simple combination of notes is not a raga unless it sounds good. As mentioned earlier though, it is difficult to accurately define what sounds good.

• A minimum of five notes are necessary in a Raga. Therefore a Raga can have five, six or seven notes.

• Every Raga has an Arohan (or Arohi) or Ascent and an Abarohan (Amrohi) or descent. The base note Sa cannot be absent from a Raga.

• The notes Ma and Pa cannot be absent from a Raga at the same time.

• A raga is also identified by a King/Vadi/ main note and a Queen/Samvadi/ second note. The Vadi is a note that is stressed the most in the raga. The Samvadi is stressed after that. Two Ragas can have the same set of notes but differing vadis and samvadis which then make them different ragas. For instance both the ragas Bhupali and Deshkar have the same set of notes and the same Arohan (or Arohi) or Ascent and an Abarohan (Amrohi) or descent but they have different vadis and samvadis which make them different ragas. Bhupali has a vadi ga and samvadi dha but Deshkar has a vadi dha and samvadi ga.

• It has been said earlier that a Raga can have five, six or seven notes in the Arohan (or Arohi) or Ascent and an Abarohan (Amrohi) or descent. Based upon this a raga can be classified in to categories. A Raga sequence (arohi or amrohi) with five notes is said to be Odho (five). A Raga sequence with six notes is called Shadav or Khado (six) and a raga sequence with seven notes is called Sampoorn since seven notes is the maximum number that the raga sequence can have.

• Raga is the basis of classical music. A raga is based on the principle of a combination of notes selected out the 22 note intervals of the octave. A performer with sufficient training and knowledge alone can create the desired emotions, through the combination of notes.

Ragas are placed in three categories (as mentioned above):

• Odho or pentatonic, a composition of five notes or

• Khado is hexatonic, a composition of six notes

• Sampoorn is heptatonic, a composition of seven notes.

1. In every raga, there is an important cluster of notes by which the raga is identified.

2. The ascent and descent of the notes in every raga is very important. Some raga in the same scale differs in ascent and descent. The principal/main note, ``KING" is the note on which the raga is built. It is emphasized in various ways, such as stopping for some time on the note, or stressing it. The second important note or the "queen" corresponds to the ``King" as the fourth or fifth note in relation to it.

Raga Melody:

Melody is based on our ability to hear and perceive changes in frequencies. Although it is more than just the pitch going up and down, but as the frequency goes higher, the note is sharper.In any octave(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Perfect_octave_on_C.mid) the highest note always vibrates at the double rate from the lowest note. So an octave is the interval between one musical note and another with half or double its frequency.

After the unison, (two things vibrating at the same rate), the octave is the simplest interval in music. The human ear tends to hear both notes (upper and lower) as being essentially ‘the same’. For this reason, notes an octave apart are given the same name in Indian music.

The same is true for Western Music. And just like in western notation system, Northern Indian music recognizes 12 places in one octave as Notes. Most musicians use the same notes as we see them on a guitar’s fret or on a piano. But it hasn’t been always like this. In ancient times, Indian music was based on the ‘Sharuti’ system. The intervals were measured with sharuties.

Melody of Northern Indian Music is based on the ‘Thaat’ (parent Scale) and ‘Raga’ theory. Ragas have their minimum requirements of five notes in an octave. Based on that principle, 484 Ragas can be created mathematically from any given ‘Thaat’. Every Raga has its own personality. There are many special things about every Raga, which make it possible to separate one Raga from another.

Secret of Phrasing in Ragas

Even though many popular musicians do not study Ragas and most of the popular music is not even in any certain Ragas, there are many ‘phrasing’ secrets hidden in the Ragas, however. Ascending and descending do not make music. Whole art of music is hidden in phrasing. You must have listened to hundreds of songs composed in ‘C’ or ‘E’ major. They still sound different from one another. That is because music we hear affects us in phrases, not scales.

This theory (music in phrases) was the origin of Ragas. Ragas start with that in mind and grow from there. To learn a Raga you have to learn its ascending or descending etc., but you also must know its flow and important phrases. There are thousands of available lists of hundreds of Ragas everywhere, but they have no practical value as one will never know how to proceed from there. You will find yourself improvising in a certain Raga in no time by mixing and shuffling its phrases and flow.

Globally acclaimed instrumental virtuosos in Hindustani classical music like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Radhika Mohon Maitra , Ajoy Chakarabarty , Ananda Shankar , Bismillah Khan , Enayet Khan and son Vilayat Khan , Imdaad Khan, Imaraat Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan ,Nasir Aminuddin Dagar , Asifuddin Dagar,Nikhil Banerjee , Amjad Ali Khan, Budhaditya Mukhopadhyay, Shahid Pervez, Anindo Chatterjee , Grammy Awardee Bikram Ghosh, Shankar Ghose, Kumar Bose,Pannalal Ghose, Tanmoy Bose, Gyan Prakash Ghose Louis Banks among others hail from Kolkata. Source: http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/1774396.xml&style

Shantiniketan 2008

We went to Shantiniketan on December 21st to Shantiniketan for Poushmela. Baba stayed at the house of a student of Prabal Dasgupta.

However one of the best places to stay, is an artist village "Aaro akash"

http://www.aaroaakash.com/home

coctact no.

Uday - 9830181462

Suchandra - 9830378472 (after 2:30pm)

Rent: Cottage Onek Akash costs Rs. 600/-; cottage Dokka costs Rs. 400/-; cottagae Ekka costs Rs. 300/-

The fair was interesting.

Since there was not enough space in that house , we stayed in a nearby guest house - Prakriti Bunglow @ Rs 1200.

While coming back , we heard this Pala from Ramayan in the train which is very funny! Very enjoyable indeed!!!!

Rabindra sangeet tune

DONKEYS, STARS - ASTROLOGY

Khushwant Singh

I don’t mean the silly asses of Bollywood who are hired at fancy prices by political parties to draw crowds during elections: they do draw crowds but not votes. What I am talking about are stars in their galaxies, millions of miles away from us, which, most Indians believe, have mysterious powers over our destinies. No sane person could possibly think it can be so but we Indians stick to our faith in the irrational. I often gnash my teeth and say to myself: “We are a nation of donkeys, forever hee-haw bullshit. I too am an ass but I bray out of tune.” After denouncing everyone, I turn to see what psephologists, learned analysts of voting pattern, opinion polls, exit polls, etc. say. They contradict each other and leave me no wiser than before. I also turn to astrological forecasts: Venus, Mercury, rahu, ketu, Saturn, Uranus, Sagittarius, sun, moon etc. I don’t know anything about their movements, but our learned jyotishis keep a vigilant eye on them and get messages from them. They have different interpretations of these astral sparklers. They are masters of double-speak and couch their forecasts in a language that can be read in different ways. Our newspapers used to give them wide coverage. Now most of them have stopped making guesses about election results because they have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to know what is in the minds of electors when they go to polling booths. The recent elections in six of our states were good examples of how hazardous it is to make electoral forecasts. However, a newly launched magazine which claims to be “the only magazine on earth in 14 languages”, in its issue of November 24, had four renowned astrologers make guesses about the elections to be held in six states. (I don’t know why it left out that podgy Parsi, Bejan Daruwala, who begins his prognostications with Sri Ganeshyae Namah and gets everything delightfully wrong, but nevertheless continues unabashedly.) Let’s start with Laxmandas Madan, the editor ofBabaji, and a book on how to forecaste earthquakes. We have crossed swords before. He is very gussa with me. He got the ouster of Vasundhara Raje as chief minister of Rajasthan right, but his forecast about Ashok Gehlot (“Gehlot not next Rajasthan CM”) was wrong. Now Gehlot is the Congress chief minister of Rajasthan. He got the Congress victory in Delhi right, but side by side, he also forecast that if the Congress lost, Sheila Dikshit will be made governor of a state. Sheila won and is chief minister for the third time. He got Uma Bharati’s becoming chief minister of Madhya Pradesh woefully wrong. Poor Uma even lost her own seat. Yogesh Aillawadi got every forecast wrong, including Sheila Dikshit. Ajai Bhambhi and Sunita Chabra were marginally closer to the ultimate outcome. Reading these forecasts after the results were out was great fun. I came to the conclusion that most forecasts are wishful fantasies of forecastors. I had to keep my finger crossed till the morning the results started coming in. I relaxed when I heard of the Congress victories in Delhi and Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are a long way away and Kashmir a case apart. I had an extra celebratory drink in the evening. And slept soundly.

NUMBERED TO PERFECTION - Numerology

Khushwant Singh

At times, I marvel at my naïveté. I read the morning papers carefully but find nothing very amusing in the news items. But no sooner the same item is reproduced in the Funny Old World column of the Private Eye magazine, coming out of London, I see its funny side. This one was on the prevalence of belief in numerology in India. Numerology is one of those hocus pocus superstitions like astrology, Vastu, Feng Shui, gemology and many others, which have many takers even among the highly educated. They believe that if you change the number of your house, or add an extra letter or two to your name, your fortunes will take an upward swing. I have two names in mind: Jayalalitha added an extra ‘a’ to her name to become Jayalalithaa; so did Shobha De, to become Shobhaa. There is no evidence of their benefiting by the additional a’s. Perhaps it improved their digestion and reduced gas in their bellies; only they can tell. But this news item, which appeared in The Hindustan Times on September 18 this year, is about belief in numerology in Bollywood, which is singularly asinine in its belief in the occult. It reads: ‘“It’s true there is no scientific proof whatsoever that numerology actually works”, film producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah admitted to reporters at a studio in Mumbai. “But it is a vital science here in Bollywood. Every studio now-a-days employs numerologists to add, subtract, or rearrange the letters in film titles, and in the names of actors, so that they are astrologically sound, because this is a high-risk business with millions of dollars at stake. That’s why I support plans for Bollywood to open an official school of numerology to train practitioners, just as we train our directors, actors and film-makers.”.......

Amazing Videos

See the amazing video of a snake charmer's son,West Bengal

See the amazing video at Kaziranga, Assam

Amazing video of a horrible accident (contents are disturbing: use discretion before watching)

Video of a horrendous Taliban brutality(contents are VERY VERY disturbing: PLEASE use discretion before watching). It is given here only for the purpose of recording of events.Religion is indeed opium for masses.

Govt links - comprehensive

http://f1mail.rediff.com/prism/readmail?file_name=1257418183.S.49583.13008.f4mail-235-245.rediffmail.com.replied.old&folder=Inbox&SrtFld=2&SrtOrd=1&startcount=0&msgcount=20&index=15&mailcount=3829&els=c7ecc3284e743fec7a3c0a7ba6fc1440

Durga Puja in Kolkata - origin, concepts

Durga Puja in Kolkata is quite fascinating, if you are an art lover. It is installation art of a very high order. It has less to do with religion these days. Sample it first, then we will discuss in details the history and significance. Please do not miss the last 9 paragraphs.

By Susanta Paul at Tala Pratay

                                                                     By Sanatan Dinda at Bakulbagan

                                                                        Dum Dum Bharat Chakra

Dum Dum Bharat Chakra

                                                                  New Town Durga Puja - Clock Towner

                                                                         

                                                                        Tridhara (?)

Akal Bodhon by Ram

Paresh Pal's Durga, my favourite because of his muscular depiction of asura. I do visit his studio in Kumartuli.

Immersion of goddess at Taki - India , Bangaldesh border

Durga Puja (Worship of Durga’), also referred as Durgotsab (Bengali: ‘Festival of Durga’) is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates worship of Hindu goddess Durga.

 It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi , Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to traditional Hindu calendar and the fortnight corresponding the festival is called Debi Pokkho (Bengali: ‘Fortnight of the Goddess’).

Debi Pokkho/Paksha is preceded by Mahalaya, the last day of the previous fortnight Pitri Pokkho ( Bengali : ‘Fortnight of the Forefathers’), and is ended on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja (Bengali ‘Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night’) . 

Therefore it is : Pitri Pokkho - Debi Pokkho -Kojagori Lokkhi Puja. Paksha or Pokkho refers to the 2 halves of a month -  Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) and Krishna Paksha (waning moon). Paksha equals 15 days. Shukla means white, bright or golden while Krishna means dark and is not considered auspicious.

Hindus observe Mahalaya as the ending of Pitri Pokkho/Paksha and the beginning of Debi (goddess or cosmic energy) Paksha / Pokkho. Pitri Pokkho is a 15-day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. Pitri Pakkho is a mourning period for Hindus and is considered unlucky because shradhha, or rites to departed souls, are performed during this time. People mistakenly wish each other Shubho Mahalaya which doesn't make sense as the shubho or auspicious part starts after Mahalaya.

On the morning of Mahalaya Amavasya (new moon), devotees first pay their respects to their ancestors by offering them prayers , food and water (tarpan) - as it's the last day of Pitri Pokkho/Paksha. They normally go to the banks of river Ganges (Hooghly) to do this.

According to Hindu mythology, Ma Durga was created on this day by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to successfully vanquish the demon king Mahishasura.

On Mahalaya, (Saturday) the sculptors, who have been working for days, carving and chiseling the statue of Durga, carry out their final touch of drawing the eyes of the Mother. It is Called Chokkhu Daan, which means offering the eyes to Durga idol, it has a special significance. Artisans paint the beautiful eyes of the goddess at the break of the dawn and only a senior member from the artisan community is allowed to draw the eyes of Maa Durga. Painting the eyes of the goddess is not done on any given random day.  Chokkhudan is also known as pran-pratistha (Invocation of the goddess), meaning bringing her to life. From that moment, the idol is considered alive & ceases to be just a clay structure.

It is believed that on Debi/Devi (goddess) pokkho Ma Durga starts her journey from Mount Kailash ( where she resides with Lord Shiva) to her maternal home - Earth. 

Her homecoming along with her children- Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Kartik- marks the week-long Durga puja festival celebrations for Bengalis that end on dashami (10th day).

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in West Bengal, Assam , Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura where it is a five-day annual holiday. Not only it is the biggest Hindu festival celebrated throughout the State, but also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society.

Apart from Eastern part of India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala. I have witnessed Durga Puja even in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh in 2011, in the exactly the same form, we see in Bengal.

Durga Puja is also celebrated as a major festival in Nepal and Bangladesh. Nowadays, many non-residential Bengali cultural organizations arrange for Durgotsab in the countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Kuwait, Denmark, Netherland. In 2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the British Museum. There are facebook pages created by organizers of this pujas - which one can refer to.

The prominence of Durga Puja increased gradually during the British Raj in Bengal. After the Hindu reformists resemble Durga with India, she had become an icon for the Indian independence movement. On the first quarter of the 20th century, the tradition of Baroyari (meaning 12 friends or Community Puja) was popularised due to this. After independence, Durga Puja became one of the largest celebrated festivals in the whole world.

Durga Puja includes the worships of Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Saraswati and Kartik also.

Names

In Bengal, Durga Puja is also called

Akalbodhan ( untimely awakening of Durga)

Sharadiya Puja (autumnal worship)

Sharodotsab (festival of autumn),

Maayer Pujo (worship of the Mother) or

only referred as Puja or Pujo.

In East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Durga Puja used to be celebrated as Bhagabati Puja.

It is also called Durga Puja in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.

Durga Puja is called Navratri Puja in Gujarat, Punjab,Kerala and Maharashtra,

Kullu Dussehra in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh,

Mysore Dussehra in Mysore, Karnataka and

Bommai Kolu in Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh.

Season

The worship of Durga is in autumn (Shôrot). Puja means "worship," and Durga's Puja is celebrated from the sixth to tenth day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashwin), which is the sixth month in the Bengali calendar.

Occasionally however, due to shifts in the lunar cycle relative to the solar months, it may also be held in the following month, Kartik. These dates correspond to the months of September and/or October.

In the Krittibas Ramayan, Rama invokes the goddess Durga in his battle against Ravana. Although she was traditionally worshipped in the Spring - Chaitra, due to exigencies of battle, Rama had to invoke her in the autumn - Sharat - akaal bodhan ( untimely awakening of Durga). Today it is this Rama's date for the puja that has gained ascendancy, although the spring puja, known as Basanti Puja [One of the oldest 'sabeki' Basanti Puja is held every year at spring in Barddhaman Pal Bari], is also present in the Hindu almanac.

The actual worship of the Goddess Durga as stipulated by the Hindu scriptures falls in the month of Spring/ Chaitra, which roughly overlaps with March or April. This ceremony is however not observed by many and is restricted to a handful in the state of West Bengal.

The more popular form, which is also known as Sharadiya (Autumnal) Durga Puja, is celebrated later in the year with the dates falling either in September or October. Since the Goddess is invoked at the wrong time, it is called "Akaal Bodhon" in Bengali. Since the season of the puja is Shôrot, autumn, it is also known as Shôrodia or Sharodia.

The pujas are held over a ten-day period, which is traditionally viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father, Himalaya's home.

History/ Origin of the autumnal ceremony i.e. 'Sharadiya' ceremony instead of the original Spring ceremony

A considerable literature exists around Durga in the Bengali language and its early forms, including avnirnay (11th century), Durga bhakti tarangini by Vidyapati (14th century), etc. Durga Puja was popular in Bengal in the medieval period, and records exist of it being held in the courts of Rajshahi (16th century) and Nadia district (18th century).

It was during the 18th century,  however, that the worship of Durga became popular among the landed elite of Bengal, Zamindars. Prominent Pujas were conducted by the landed zamindars/Chieftains and jagirdars, enriched by British rule, including Raja Nabakrishna Deb, of Shobha-bazar, who initiated an elaborate Puja at his residence. The first such Zamindari Puja was organised by Raja Nabakrishna Deb of the Shobha-bazar Rajbari of Calcutta in honour of Lord Clive in the year 1757. Many of these old pujas exist to this day.

Interestingly the oldest such Puja to be conducted anywhere in the world at the same venue is in Rameswarpur, Orissa, where it continues for the last four centuries since the Ghosh Mahashays from Kotarang near Howrah migrated as a part of Todarmal's contingent during Akbar's rule.

The puja was organised because Clive wished to pay thanks for his victory in the Battle of Plassey. He was unable to do so in a Church because the only church in Calcutta at that time was destroyed by Siraj-ud-Daulah. Indeed many wealthy mercantile and Zamindar families in Bengal made British Officers of the East India Company guests of honour in the Pujas.

The hosts vied with one another in arranging the most sumptuous fares, decorations and entertainment for their guests.  

This was shown beautifully, by famous Bengali film director Rituparna Ghosh in "Antarmahal". I really liked the movie. 

This was deemed necessary since the East India Company was in charge of a large part of India including Bengal after the battles of Plassey and Buxar .

Evolution of the Community or Sarbajanin puja in autumn

In 1610, the first Durga puja in Kolkata was supposedly celebrated by the Roychowdhuri family of Barisha. Though this was a private affair, community or ‘Baroyari’ Puja was started in Guptipara, in Hooghly by 12 young men when they were barred from participating in a family puja in 1761. They formed a committee which accepted subscriptions for organising the puja. Since then, community pujas in Bengal came to be known as ‘Baroyari – ‘baro’ meaning 12 and ‘yar’ meaning friends.

(see my blog http://sourabhdg.blogspot.com/2009/11/guptipara-hoogly-real-treasure.html) .

During the late 19th and early 20th century, a burgeoning middle class, primarily in Calcutta, wished to observe the Puja. Today, the culture of Durga Puja has shifted from the princely houses to Sarbojanin (literally, "involving all") forms. 

In Kolkata, the first ‘Baroyari’ Durga Puja was organized in 1910 by the ‘Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha’ at Balaram Bosu Ghat Road, Bhawanipur. It is just opposite to Harish Mukherjee Park.

At the same time, similar Baroyari Pujas were held at Ramdhan Mitra Lane and Sikdar Bagan. The Indian freedom struggle also had an influence on Durga puja in Kolkata. In 1926, Atindranath Bose initiated the first ‘Sarbojanin’ Durga puja in which anybody, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, could participate in the festivities. This was consciously done 2 instill a feeling of unity.

These Pujas are organized by a committee which represents a locality or neighbourhood. They collect funds called "chaanda" through door-to-door subscriptions etc. These funds are pooled and used for the expenses of pandal construction, idol construction, ceremonies etc. The balance of the fund is sometimes donated to a charitable cause, as decided by the committee.

Corporate sponsorships of the Pujas have gained momentum since the late 1990s. Major Pujas in Calcutta and also in major metro areas such as Delhi (especially in Chittaranjan Park),Bangalore and Chennai now derive almost all of their funds from corporate sponsorships. Community fund drives have become a formality. The puja in CR Park is equally big and crowded till the wee hours of 3 - 4 am! I have seen that during my stay in Delhi from 1999-2002

Despite the resources used to organise a Puja, entry of visitors into the Pandal is free. Pujas in Calcutta experiment with innovative concepts every year. Communities have created prizes for Best Pandal, Best Puja, and other categories. Only after Unesco awarded Durga Puja Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2022, Massart.in started charging entry fee for 21 special Pujas, for Puja preview before actual Puja starts.

Durga puja mood starts with the Mahishasura-mardini a radio programme (with the Sanskrit recitation of the Agomoni - an audio montage -  India’s oldest radio programme which is a collection of shlokas and songs - from the scriptures from the Debi Chandi. ) that has been popular with the community since the 1950s. While earlier it used to be conducted live, later a recorded version began to be broadcast. Bengalis traditionally wake up at 4 in the morning on Mahalaya day to listen to the enchanting voice of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadro (radio broadcaster, actor, playwright and theatre director) and the late Pankaj Kumar Mullick.  Bengalis wake up to the song Jago tumi jago (Wake up mother goddess).

It is the most important festival in Bengal and Bengalis celebrate with new clothes and other gifts, which are worn on the evenings when the family goes out to see the 'pandals' (temporary structures set up to venerate the goddess. The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temporary temple for the purpose of the puja). Although it is a Hindu festival, religion takes a back seat on these five days: Durga Puja in Bengal is a carnival, where people from all backgrounds, regardless of their religious beliefs, participate and enjoy themselves. Modern tradition have come to include the display of decorated pandals and artistically depicted idols of Durga, exchange of Bijoya Greetings and publication of Puja Annuals. Bengali magazines bring out special issues for the Puja known as "Pujabarshiki" or "Sharadiya Sankhya". These contain the works of many writers both established and upcoming and are thus much bigger than the regular issues.

In Kolkata alone more than 2,000 pandals are set up, all clamouring for the admiration and praise of the populace. The city is adorned with lights. People from all over the country visit the city at this time, and every night is one mad carnival where thousands of people go 'pandal-hopping' with their friends and family. Traffic comes to a standstill, and indeed, most people abandon their vehicles to travel by foot after a point. A special task force is deployed to control law and order.

Durga Puja in Calcutta is often referred to as the Rio Carnival of the Eastern Hemisphere.

In playgrounds, traffic circles, ponds—wherever space may be available—elaborate structures called pandals 'are set up, many with nearly a year's worth of planning behind them. While some of the pandals are simple structures, others are often elaborate works of art with themes that rely heavily on history, current affairs and sometimes pure imagination.

Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which Durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons in her ten hands. This is the religious centre of the festivities, and the crowds gather to offer flower worship or pushpanjali on the mornings, of the sixth to ninth days of the waxing moon fortnight known as Devi Pokkho .

Ritual drummers/dhakis, carrying large leather-strung dhak –– show off their skills during ritual dance worships called arati.

On the tenth day, Durga the mother returns to her husband, Shiva, ritualised through her immersion into the waters –– Bishorjon also known as Bhaashan / Niranjan, amid loud chants of 'Bolo Durga mai-ki jai' (glory be to Mother Durga') and 'aashchhe bochhor abar hobe' ('it will happen again next year') and drumbeats to the river or other water body. It is cast in the waters symbolic of the departure of the deity to her home with her husband in the Himalayas.

After this, in a tradition called Vijaya Dashami, families visit each other and sweetmeats are offered to visitors (Dashami is literally "tenth day" and Vijay is "victory").

In fact, visiting the pandals recent years, one can only say that Durga puja is the largest outdoor art festival on earth (wikipedia).

In the late 1990s, a preponderance of architectural models came up on the pandal exteriors, but today the art motif extends to elaborate interiors, executed by trained artists, with consistent stylistic elements, carefully executed and bearing the name of the artist. The sculpture of the idol itself has evolved. The worship always depicts Durga with her four children. In the olden days, all five idols would be depicted in a single frame, traditionally called pata. Since the 1980s however, the trend is to depict each idol separately. 

The Bosepukur Sitala Mandir Puja is believed to have started this art installation or Theme Puja in 2001. The person who did this puja is no more - Bandan Raha. Bandan Raha was best known for making a pandal made of earthen cups at Bosepukur Sitala Mandir which had become a rage in 2001. When the club created the pandal of earthen cups, thousands turned up at the pandal daily, many of whom had no prior idea of the puja club and since then Raha was a big name in the business.

(https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/popular-durga-puja-theme-pandal-maker-found-dead-at-kolkata-home/articleshow/98872738.cms?from=mdr)

Theme-based Pujas and pandals

Since the 1990s. Puja committees decide on a particular theme, whose elements are incorporated into the pandal and the idols. Popular themes include ancient civilizations like the Egyptians or Incas. Contemporary subjects like the RMS Titanic and Harry Potter have also been the subject in some pandals.

The design and decoration is usually done by art and architecture students based in the city. Even famous artists like Sanatan Dinda,Bhabotosh sutar also design some of them. The budget required for such theme-based pujas is often higher than traditional pujas. They attract crowds and are well-received.

Most wins:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Paints_Sharad_Shamman

Inspired by Calcutta, theme-based pandals are becoming popular in cities in neighbouring states, particularly Orissa . Experimentation with the idols does not happen much outside Calcutta.

Rapid growth of competitiveness in theme pandals, and also rapid growth of massive billboards that come up at strategic junctions, prior to Puja and allied commercial activities, has also created a cultural backlash from city's traditional Puja pandals, which now claim, "We do not do theme puja, we do Durga puja,”, according to one hoarding put up in Salt Lake, Kolkata

Durga Puja is also a festivity of Good (Ma Durga) winning over the evil (Mahishasura, the demon). It is a worship of power of Good which always wins over the bad.

Creation of the idols

Durga Puja Idol in the making at Kumortuli, Kolkata.

The entire process of creation of the idols from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process, supervised by rites and other rituals.

On the Hindu date of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is held, clay for the idols is collected from the banks of a river, preferably the Ganges. After the required rites, the clay is transported from which the idols are fashioned. An important event is 'Chakkhu Daan', literally donation of the eyes. Starting with Devi Durga, the eyes of the idols are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the Pujas.

http://album.doorersathi.com/displayimage.php?album=25&pos=7

Before painting on the eyes, the artisans are supposed to fast for a day and eat only vegetarian food.

Many Pujas in and around Calcutta buy their idols from Kumartuli (also Kumortuli), an artisans' town/colony in north Calcutta.

In other parts of India

Delhi

In Delhi there are approximately 400 registered pujas, which are celebrated with great fanfare by Bengalis settled in Delhi. Unlike most of the Durga Pujas in Kolkata, the atmosphere in Durga Pujas celebrated across Delhi, in general, are less commercial and they have been able to maintain that peculiar atmosphere of Durga Puja. The oldest Durga Puja in Delhi is organised by Delhi Durga Puja Samiti, Kashmere Gate, Delhi (popularly known as Kashmere Gate Puja OR Heritage Durga Puja) since 1910. In the year of 2009, they will be completing 100 years of continuous extistence. I have seen Durga Pujas in CR Park. Like Calcutta people come to see the pandal through out the night.

Apart from Kashmere Gate Puja, Durga Pujas celebrated at Timar Pur, New Delhi Kali Bari, Karol Bagh Bangiya Sansad, Minto Road, C R Park Shiv Mandir, C R Park Mela Ground, CR Park B Block (destroyed by fire more than once) ,Hauz Khas, Nivedita Enclave are worth visiting (to name a few). Newer residential areas like Dwarka also host some of the worth visiting Durga Pujas; Aikotaan Kalibari O Sewa Samiti's (oldest Sarbajanin) Durga Puja celebrations in Sector-4 in Dwarka sub-city is known for its homely environment.

Patna

Durga Puja is one of the major, rather the most awaited festival of this City. Hundreds of pandals are setup with carnivals. The city witnesses a huge surge in visitors during these four days starting from Maha Saptami. More than 500 exhibits, known as pandals, decorated with lights, sculpturing and other art forms come up across the city. The crowd spills onto the streets during the evenings and throng the food stalls and processions. Competitions are held for giving away prizes to the best pandal,apart from puja pandals musical nights are also the point attaraction at Patna during Durga Puja Festival etc.

Assam

According to historian Late Benudhar Sharma, the present form of worship of Durga with earthen idol in Assam was started during the reign of Ahom King Susenghphaa or Pratap Singha. The King heard about the festivity, the pomp and grandeur with which the King Naranarayan of Koch Bihar celebrated Durga Puja from one Sondar Gohain, who was under captivity of the Koch raja.

King Pratap Singha sent artisans to Koch Bihar to learn the art of idol making. The King organised the first such Durga Puja celebration in Bhatiapara near Sibsagar. This was the first time Durga Puja with earthen idols in Assam was held for the masses, in addition to the worship in Durga temples like Kamakhya, Digheswari Temple, Maha Bhairabi Temple, Ugrotara, Tamreswari Mandir, etc.

Subsequently, similar Pujas were celebrated by other Kings and nobles. Now a days the Durga Puja is mostly a community festival celebrated in all the cities, towns, villages of Assam with great festivity and religious fervour for five days.

Jamshedpur

Durga Puja is one of the major, rather the most awaited festival of this Steel City. Hundreds of pandals are setup with carnivals. More than 300 exhibits, known as pandals, decorated with lights, sculpturing and other art forms come up across the city. The crowd spills onto the streets almost the whole day of all the 4 days and throng the food stalls and processions. Competitions are held for giving away prizes to the best pandal, etc.

Maharashtra and Goa

In Maharashtra, Durga Puja is an enjoyable occasion. Puja is performed each day and devotees do not remove the flower garland that is put each day on the idol or image of the deity. After nine days, all nine garlands are removed together. Young girls who have not attained maturity are invited to eat, play games, dance and sing. An elephant is drawn with rangoli, and the girls play guessing games. Then they are fed a meal of their choice.

In Goa great festivities take place in the temples of shree Shantadurga, shree Mhalasa Narayani and shree Vijayadurga.

Punjab

People of Punjab strictly observe Navratri. Some Punjabis have only milk for seven days before breaking the fast on ashtami or navami. They worship Durga Ma and do the aarti at home. Some of them have fruit or a complete meal only once a day. Intoxicating drinks or meat, and other forms of entertainment are completely avoided. At the end of the fast, devotees feed beggars or worship little girls who spell the Shakti of the Mother Goddess.

Orissa

Various accounts exist which ascribe the origin of Durga Puja in the state of Orissa. All historical accounts agree on the influence from other regions although some mythological accounts describe an independent origin.

Durga Puja is a festival, which is observed for 10 days. The Durga Puja is celebrated in two different ways in Orissa.

In Shakti peethas (temples of goddess) the Durga Puja is observed with proper rituals for 10 to 16 days known as Shodasa Upachara. Goddess Durga is also worshiped by devotees in different pandals in form deities across the state. The pandals are decorated with beautiful decoratives.

According to Markandeya Purana the King of Chedi dynasty Suratha started rituals of Durga Puja during 300B.C.The Chedi dynasty belongs to Kalinga(modern Orissa).

Durga Puia has different names in different Puranas and Sastras. In Devi Purana & Kalika Purana it is named as Vijaya Dashami.

It is named as Mahaparbana in Devi Mahatmya and Duseehera in Markandeya Purana.

The present form of worship of Durga with earthen idol in Orissa was started during the reign of Ganga King Chodaganga Dev in the 11th century at Puri.

The earthen idol of Mahishamardini Durga is known as Gosani and the Dussehra fesival is known as Gosani Yatra. It is noteworthy that the co-worship of Mahisamardini Durga with Madhava (Lord Jagannath) is prevalent from 11th century,Ganga period, in Puri.

Before the concept of Sarbojonin Durga Puja started, it was being conducted by princely houses and the first such Puja being conducted anywhere in the world at the same venue and continuing till date is in Orissa. It is at Rameswarpur in Bhadrak district of the state, where it was started about four centuries ago by the Mahashay family who migrated in from Kotarang near Howrah as a part of Todarmal's famous survey of India during Emperor Akbar's rule.

It is said that in the year 1512 to 1517 Chaitanya Deva had come to Cuttack, the capital of Gajapati empire of Orissa and the then emperor of Orissa Gajapati Pratap Rudra Dev received him at Gadagadia Ghata situated near the river bank of Mahanadi very close to the kings Palace popularly known as Barabati fort. In that year Sri Chatanya Deva started Durga puja at Binod Bihari temple presently known as Balu Bazar.

One reason for the wide acceptance of Durga Puja is the importance of Maa Tarini, who is considered one of the embodiments of Shakti in Oriya culture. In addition, the state is close to Bengal and the peoples share a common socio-cultural history spanning millennia. Orissa is home to many important shrines dedicated to the Goddess; great festivities are organised there on Durga and Kali Puja.

It is thus one of the prime festivals of Orissa as well. People in Orissa celebrate it on a large scale. The Goddess Durga is among the sacred goddesses of Orissa. The celebrations are quite similar to the neighbouring state of West Bengal.

Karnataka

Durga Puja is celebrated in a grand way in this state.

In Mysore, Dussehra is easily the most popular festival. Elephants are decked up with robes and jewellery and taken in processions through the streets of the city. In fact, many people visit Mysore from all over the country to watch this colorful event. There is also a floating festival in the temple tank at the foot of Chamundi Hill and a procession of chariots around the temple at the top.

Mysore is named after Mahishasur, the very demon which was slain by the Goddess. The original Indian name was Mahishur. There are temples dedicated to the demon king and even a gigantic statue of the demon in the city.

Gujarat

Navratri is devoted to Amba mataji. In some homes, images of mataji are worshiped in accordance with accepted practice. This is also true of the temples, which usually have a constant stream of visitors from morning to night. The most common form of public celebration is the performance of garba and dandia-ras/ras-garba (a form of garba with sticks), Gujarat's popular folk-dance, late throughout the nights of these nine days in public squares, open grounds and streets.

Kerala

In Kerala, Durga Puja signifies the beginning of formal education for every child aged 3–5 years. While puja goes on in the temple for all ten days, it is the concluding three days which are most important. Ashtami is the day of Ayudya Puja, when all the tools at home are worshipped. Custom dictates that no tools be used on this day. On navami day, Goddess Saraswati is honored by worshipping the books and records at home.

Thousands throng the Saraswati temple at Kottayam during this period to take a dip in the mysterious holy pond, whose source is yet unknown. Large gatherings are also seen at the famous temples at Thekkegram (Palghat), in which there are no idols, only huge mirrors. A devotee finds himself bowing before his own reflection, which symbolizes that God is within us.

Kashmir

Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir celebrate their festivals with pomp and show. These days, festivities are more subdued. The favorite deities of Kashmir are Lord Shiva and Serawali Ma Durga, the one who rides the tiger. Pundits and Muslims alike vouch that Navratri is important. Here each Hindu household does the puja at home. All the adult members of the household fast on water. In the evenings, fruit may be taken. As elsewhere, Kashmiris grow barley in earthen pots. They believe that if the growth in this pot is good, there is prosperity all year. The most important ritual for Kashmiri Pandits is to visit the temple of guardian goddess Kheer Bhawani on all nine days. On the last day of Navratri, an aarti is held at the temple, after which people break their fast. On Dussehra day, Ravana's effigy is burnt.

Outside India

Durga Puja is celebrated by the Indian diaspora residing in different parts of the world. It is also celebrated in regions and by people culturally and historically distinct from India.

Bangladesh

Although the percentage of Hindu people in Bangladesh is very low, Durga Puja along with other Pujas are celebrated throughout Bangladesh by all kinds of people. Generally people in district areas organize large number of Pujas compared to the big city or village.

Nepal

Dussehra in Nepal is called Dashain. As it is chiefly a Hindu nation, the pattern and dates of the festivals coincide with those of India. The King of Nepal plays a key role in the festivities, particularly during Saptami or the Seventh day of the pujas. Despite the overthrow of monarchy in Nepal, the Royal Family still has a significant cultural role in the nation.

United States, Europe and Australia

Durga Puja is organised by communities comprising of Indians in the US, Europe and Australia. Although pandals are not constructed, the idols are flown in from Kumartuli in Bengal. The desire by the diaspora peoples to keep in touch with their cultural ties has led to a boom in religious tourism, as well as learning from priests or purohits versed in the rites. Also recently, the immersion of the Durga idol has been allowed in the Thames river for the festival which is held in London. In the United States the pujas are often hosted during weekends with very few exceptions. The pujas weekends are time for Bengal friends and family to gather together to spend the weekend savoring bengali culture. Cultural programs are helds; there is food; stalls selling ethnic clothes/jewellery/books/music/dvds - there is a general atmosphere of festivity.

Environmental impact

Image of Durga being immersed in water. This has led to harm to aquatic life of many plants and animals.

"Commercialisation of Hindu festivals like Durga Puja in the last quarter of 20th century have become a major environmental concern as devout Hindus want bigger and brighter idols and are no longer happy with the ones made from eco-friendly materials," said Ramapati Kumar, a toxics campaigner for Greenpeace. Environmentalists say the idols are often made from non-biodegradable materials such as plastic, cement and plaster of Paris, and are painted using toxic dyes.

Environmentalists state that such materials do not dissolve easily. They reduce the oxygen level in the water, resulting in the death of fish and other aquatic organisms. The paints used contain heavy metals such as mercury, chromium and lead which are carcinogenic. These can adversely affect drinking water.

Over the years, white plumes attached to the drums of a Dhaki, traditional drummer have come to symbolize Durga puja, and at least four birds have to be killed to obtain a bunch of 30-40 feathers needed to decorate a single dhak (drum). But these days white plums attached to the Dhak is not very common.

Popular culture specific to the puja

Durga Puja is one of the most important events in the Bengali society's calendar. Many Bengali films, albums and books are released to coincide with the Puja. The West Bengal government gives a fortnight of holidays for the Pujas. This time is used in various ways. Many people travel in India or abroad. Gatherings of friends called "Aadda" in Bengali is common in many homes and restaurants. A lot of shopping is done, and retailers cash in on this opportunity with special offers.

Visiting pandals with friends and family, talking and sampling the food sold near them is known as pandal hopping. Young people embrace this activity. TV and radio channels telecast Puja celebrations. Many Bengali channels devote whole days to the Pujas.

Who is Durga ?

In Hinduism, the Goddess Durga or "the invincible" or Maa Durga got her name after killing the asura Durg.

Durga , a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having ten arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons (including a lotus flower), maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras, or symbolic hand gestures.

Durga is considered by Hindus the mother of Ganesh, and Kartik.

She is considered the fiercer, demon-fighting form of Lord Shiva's wife, Goddess Parvati.

Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion.

The Divine belief

The word Shakti, means divine feminine force and Durga is the warrior form of the Divine Mother.

Other incarnations include Annapurna .

Durga's darker aspect Kali is represented as the consort of god Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing.

Durga's form is blindingly bright, as a radiant goddess (devi), with three lotus-like eyes, ten powerful hands, lush hair with beautiful curls, a red-golden glow from her skin and a quarter moon on her forehead. She wears a shiny attire emitting fierce rays. Her ornaments were carved beautifully of gold, with ocean pearls and precious stones embedded in it.

According to the narrative from the Devi Mahatmya story of the Markandeya Purana text, Durga was created as a warrior goddess to fight an asura, (an inhumane force/demon) named Mahishasur. He had unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds, and he could not be defeated by any man or god, anywhere.

So the gods went to Brahma who had given Mahishasur the boon to be the invincible conqueror of the universe. Brahma could not do anything.

So they made Brahma their leader and went to Baikuntha-the place where Vishnu lay on Anantya Naag. They found both Vishnu and Shiva there and Brahma eloquently reported the reign of terror Mahishasur had unleashed on the three worlds.

Hearing this both Vishnu, Shiva and all the gods got very angry and beams of fierce light emerged from each of their body. This blinding sea of light met at the Ashram of the priest Katyan. Thus the goddess Durga took the name Katyani from the priest and emerged from the sea of light.

She gave her own introduction in the language of Rig-Veda saying that she was the form of the supreme Brahman and had created all the gods. Now she had come to fight the demon to save the gods. The gods did not create her, it was her leela that she emerged from their combined energy. The gods were blessed with her compassion.

Thus Durga was formed from the Trimurti (Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma) to destroy the buffalo demon Mahisha.

It is said that upon initially encountering Durga, Mahishasura underestimated her thinking "How can a woman kill me-Mahishasur the one who has defeated the god trinity".

And the terrible Mahishasur rampaged against her, changing forms many times. First he was a buffalo demon, and she defeated him with her sword. The he changed forms and became an elephant that tied up the goddesses' tiger and began to pull it towards him. The goddess cut off his trunk with her Khorgo. The demon Mahishasur continued his terrorizing, taking the form of a lion, and then the form of a man, but both of them were gracefully slain by the goddess Durga.

Then Mahishasur began attacking once more, starting to take the form of a buffalo again. The patient goddess became very angry, and as she sipped divine wine from a cup she smiled . When Mahashaur had half emerged into his buffalo form, he got paralyzed by the extreme light emitting from the goddess's body. The goddess then resounded with laughter before cutting Mahishasur's head down with her Khorgo.

Hence Mata Durga is also known as Mahishasurmardhini – the slayer of Mahishasur.

Worship

The four day long Durga Puja is the biggest annual festival in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. It is celebrated likewise with much fervour in other parts of India, especially the Himalayan region, but is celebrated in various forms throughout the Hindu universe.

The day of Durga's victory is celebrated as Vijaya Dasahmi, Dashain (Nepali) or Dussehra (Bengali) - these words literally mean "the Victory Tenth" (day).

In Kashmir she is worshipped as shaarika (the main temple is in Hari Parbat in Srinagar).

The actual period of the worship however may be on the preceding nine days (Navaratri) followed by the last day called Vijayadashami in North India .

Nine aspects of Durga known as Navadurga are meditated upon, one by one during the nine-day festival by devout Shakti worshippers.

In North India, the tenth day, signifying Rama's victory in his battle against the demon Ravana, is celebrated as Dussehra - gigantic straw effigies of Ravana are burnt in designated open spaces (e.g. Delhi's Ram Lila grounds), watched by thousands of families and little children.

In Mysore Karnataka, she is worshipped as Chamundeshwari, the patron goddess of the city during Dussehra.

In Gujarat it is celebrated as the last day of Navaratri, during which the Garba dance is performed to celebrate the vigorous victory of Mahishasura-mardini Durga.

The Goddess Durga is worshiped in her peaceful form as Maha Gauri, The Fair Lady, Shree Shantadurga also known as santeri, is the patron Goddess of Goa. She is worshiped by all Goan Hindus irrespective of caste.

Weapons of Durga

Each of her weapons was gifted to her by various gods:

• The conch shell in Durga's hand symbolizes the 'Pranava' or the mystic word 'Om', which indicates her holding on to God in the form of sound.

• The bow and arrows (Barun??) represent energy. By holding both the bow and arrows in one hand "Mother Durga" is indicating her control over both aspects of energy - potential and kinetic.

• The thunderbolt (Indra) signifies firmness. The devotee of Durga must be firm like thunderbolt in one's convictions. Like the thunderbolt that can break anything against which it strikes, without being affected itself, the devotee needs to attack a challenge without losing his confidence.

• The lotus in Durga's hand is not in fully bloomed, It symbolizing certainty of success but not finality. The lotus in Sanskrit is called "pankaja" which means born of mud. Thus, lotus stands for the continuous evolution of the spiritual quality of devotees amidst the worldly mud of lust and greed.

• The Sudarshan-Chakra or beautiful discus (Vishnu), which spins around the index finger of the Goddess, while not touching it, signifies that the entire world is subservient to the will of Durga and is at her command. She uses this unfailing weapon to destroy evil and produce an environment conducive to the growth of righteousness.

• The sword/scimitar/lance ???? (Kumara) that Durga holds in one of her hands symbolizes knowledge, which has the sharpness of a sword. Knowledge which is free from all doubts, is symbolized by the shine of the sword.

• Durga's trident or "trishul" (Rudra)is a symbol of three qualities - Satwa (inactivity), Rajas (activity) and Tamas (non-activity) - and she is remover of all the three types of miseries - physical, mental and spiritual.

• Brahma’s kamandalu

• Kuber’s gada or mace

• Lion by Himalaya, her father

Notable temples in India

• Ammathiruvadi Temple, Thrissur, Kerala, India
• Matrimandir in the city of Auroville near Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu.
• Ambika Mata Temple in the village of Jagat near Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India.
• Bhairabi Devalaya, in Tezpur, Assam
• Kalighat Temple, Kolkata.
• Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam
• Kanaka Durga Temple, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
• Shanta Durga temple in Goa
• Shila Devi temple at Amber Jaipur Rajasthan
• Shitla Mata temple at Patna Bihar
• Amaramkavu temple at Kolani Thodupuzha Kerala
• Chintpurni Temple at una Himachal Pradesh
• Jwalamukhi Temple - Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
• Chamunda Devi - Kangra, Himachal Pradesh
• Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore Karnataka
• Jhakhu Temple - Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
• Naina Devi Temple - Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh
• Bhimakali Temple - Sarhan Himachal Pradesh
• Hadimba Devi Temple - Manali Himachal Pradesh
• Balasundari Temple - Nahan Himachal Pradesh

The Legend of the “Kola Bou”

http://www.sareez.com/blog/know-how/bengali-style-sarees-the-legend-of-the-kola-bou

A Banana plant draped in white and red Bengali style saree, with vermilion on its leaves is placed beside Lord Ganesha on “Saptami”, the seventh day. This tree bride is called “Kola Bou”. She is popular as Lord Ganesh’s wife. In reality Kola bou has no relationship with Lord Ganesh. Our scriptures call her Navapatrika. 

In ancient times, idol worship was not prevalent, the peasants’ worshipped Mother Nature for a prosperous harvest. It was during the autumn, the time for reaping crops, that the farmers worshipped Goddess Navapatrika. Later when Durga Puja became a popular festival of autumn, all the nine holy rituals of the Navapatrika, were added to the ceremonies of Durga Puja. In fact Navapatrika represented the primitive form of Durga Puja. This form of worship is still prevalent in some places. 

Navapatrika or the nine plants of worship depicts nine forms of goddess Durga. They are banana plant as Goddess Brahmani, Colacassia plant represents Goddess Kalika, Turmeric plant symbolises Devi Durga, Jayanti denotes Kartiki, Wood apple Goddess Shiva, Pomegranate Raktadantika, Ashoka tree symbolises Sokrahita, Arum plant represents Chamunda and the Rice plant Goddess Lakshmi.

In the early hours of Saptami, the twigs of white “aparajita” plant along with nine bunches of yellow threads are used to tie the Navapatrika. It is then bathed. During olden times the bath was an elaborate affair. It was compared with the coronation of a King. All the nine Goddesses representing Navapatrika are bathed with waters from 8 different holy places. Over the years this elaborate ritual has shrunk to a small affair. Water from the Ganges or some nearby pond accompanied with Dhak and Kanshi finishes the ceremony. After the bathing ceremony Navapatrika is adorned in red bordered white Bengali style saree and vermilion is smeared on its leaves. Offerings of flowers, sandalwood paste and incense sticks are made. Later kolabou is placed on the rightside of Lord Ganesh. This is the reason she is popularly known as Ganesh’s wife.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Holy-tree-missed-in-Puja-rituals/articleshow/16705291.cms

Holy tree missed in Puja rituals -  By Sujay Khanna

MIDNAPORE: With the jayanti tree - an intrinsic part of Bodhon that marks the beginning of Durga Puja - on the verge of extinction, Puja rituals are now observed in a half-hearted manner. While the priests are upset about the injustice being done to the Divine, botanists fear that jayanti tree could become completely extinct unless efforts are made to cultivate it. 

Durga Puja, we all know, begins with Bodhon - a ritual to welcome the Goddess who comes travelling all the way from Kailash to her maternal home. The kolabou (banana stem) worship is an integral part of Bodhon and is done on the morning of Sashthi. According to shastras, nine forms of Goddess Durga, including the kolabou, are worshipped on this day. But nowadays, the puja is usually done with eight forms of the Goddess as the Jayanti tree is hard to find. 

Purohit Purnendu Chakraborty, who performs the age-old puja at the Mullick household in Midnapore town, said the demand for jayanti trees far outstrips the scant supply during Durga Puja. 

The ritual is thus proving incomplete these days as the kolabou itself does not comprise the Navapatrika or nine plants it is supposed to be made up of. The rituals require the Nabapatrika to make up the kolabou. The plants like Colacassis, turmeric, jayanti, wood apple, pomegranate, arum, ashoka and paddy are tied to a banana stem which represents the Brahmani form of the Goddess. The kolabou, wrapped in a red and white sari, is them smeared with vermilion and placed near the deity at Puja pandals. 

Vidyasagar University's professor of botany and forestry, Nagendra Verma, fears the tree could become extinct because of pollution and scant rainfall. "Thus Centre must take steps to preserve the jayanti trees or else a day will come when the Puja can no longer be performed in accordance with the Puranas," said priest Raghupati Chakraborty.

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The nine different plants which comprises the Navapatrika:

1. Ashoka (Ashoka Gaachh) - represents Goddess Shokarahita

2. Rice (Dhaan Gaachh) - represents Goddess Lakshmi

3. Arum (Maankochu Gaachh) - represents Goddess Chamunda

4. Pomegranate (Daalim Gaachh) - represents Goddess Raktadantika5. Wood apple (Bel Ghaachh) - represents Goddess Shiva

6. Jayanti (Jayanti Gaachh) - represents Goddess Kartiki

7. Turmeric (Halud Gaachh) - represents Goddess Durga

8. Colacassia (Kochu Gaachh) - represents Goddess Kalika

9. Banana (Kola Gaachh) - represents Goddess Brahmani

There is another side of this story, which is not there even in wikipedia. I wrote an article on this in Asian Age in 1999. Strange it may seem, but I was along a fan of Mahisasura, probabaly because of the way my father described Mahishasura to me.

As per wikipedia Mahishasura's father Rambha was king of the asuras, and he once fell in love with a water buffalo; Mahishasura was born out of this union. He is therefore able to change between human and buffalo form at will (mahisha = buffalo). Despite being a demon (the word asura used to mean "not-god" and does not have as strong a negative connotation as "demon"), Mahishasura was also pious in his meditation to Brahma. Eventually, Brahma granted him a boon that he could not be defeated in battle by any man or god.

According to famous sculptor Meera Mukherjee (in her book In search of Viswakarma),the asuras are not demons. There only sin is they do not follow Vedic religion. They are the persons who created roads, medicine, cultivated lands. They were invariably killed by Gods by sheer deceit. According to the legendary Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Datta, Ram is a coward.He did not accept Sita, although she was innocent, after she came back from Lanka , with the false presumption that she has been exploited by Ravana. The fact is Ravana did not even touch Sita and kidnapped her, only becasue, Laxman cut the nose of his sister Surpanakha , when she proposed Laxman. Ten heads of Ravana signifies mastery of 10 disciplines e.g. Architecture, Astronomy,warfare etc. Ravana is very pious. Laxman killed great warrior, Indrajit,brother of Ravana from his back, when Indrajit was worshipping. It was against the ethics and rule of war. Michael Madhusudan Datta came heavily on Laxman for his cowardice and said " I hate Ram and his rabel" in his famous " Meghnath (other name of Indrajit) Badh Kabya ".

Asuras are probably the black people or Dravidians , whom Aryans referred to as "Dasyu" (the workd found in Persian language also, according to Irfan Habib in Vedic Civilization) in Vedas.

It will be interesting to note that in Durga puja even Mahisasura is being given garlands and worshipped.

According to blogger Akshay Chavan, " there is a tribe of people who call themselves “Asuras” , consider themselves to be the descendants of Mahishasura, hate “Devas” for defeating him and consider Navratri as a period of mourning to remember the defeat of “Asuras” by “Devas”. This tribe, called the "Asur Tribe" ,  consider themselves to be kinsmen of Mahishasura and do not worship Devas as they conspired to defeat him. The Asur Tribe is mainly predominant in the Chhota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand state. They are found in the districts of Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu and Latehar of the Jharkhand state. The modern Asur tribe is divided into three sub-tribal divisions, namely Bir (Kol) Asur, Birjia Asur and Agaria Asur. By profession, Asurs are traditionally Iron smelters. " 

They are also present in Tea Gardens of North Bengal (though they migrated from Jharkhand) and their lingua franca is Sadri language (or Madeshi language ).

" To this day, they resent the Devas. They believe that Devas are power hungry and can do no good to anyone. The Asurs worship their ancestors or nature offering them haria (rice beer) and chicken on a sacred day. While rest of the country celebrates Durga Puja and Navratri, the Asurs spread across North Bengal and Jharkhand go into a deep period of mourning. During this time, the elders stay even away from sunlight. Windows are barred and all activities done only after sunset.The Asur tribe has tried to preserve their traditions in this rapidly changing and assimilating world. A fascinating fact, which is truly a great example of the great anthropological diversity of India. 

In the popular culture today, Asuras are often confused with “Rakshas” (Demons). However, this was not always so. Once upon a time, Asuras were not considered demons but in fact power seeking deities. In the early Hinduism, there were two classes of deities, Devas and Asuras. Infact, in those times, Indra and Varun were considered to be Asuras. Asuras were powerful deities who were opposed to gods. Sometimes, they were more powerful than the Devas and sometimes worked with them together to achieve a common goal. As per the Hindu Puranas, Asuras and Devas are step sons of Rishi Kashyap. Curiously, it is only in the later stages of Hinduism that the Asuras began to be portrayed at demons or evil being. So what happened? Why did the Asuras go from being a kind of a deity to becoming demons or rakshas?

The historical theory behind the split of Asuras and Devas

The answer to this question lies in time far back in millennia, when wandering hordes of Aryans travelled through large parts of Asia. It is believed that Aryans came to India through Central Asia in the Bronze Age. There is a theory among historians explaining the Asuras and Devas divide to the split between the Indian Aryans and the Iranian Aryans. This theory is corroborated by the fact that in old-Iranian religion as well as Zoroastrianism, the term Asura corresponds to the Zoroastrian word “Ahura”. In Zoroastrianism, Asuras or “Ahuras” are supreme godly beings while Devas or “Daevas” are demonic. Prophet Zoroaster propagated the worship of Ahura Mazda while the first Zoroastrian Gatha condemns Daevas for their ill treatment of cows.

Based on this opposing definitions of Devas and Asuras in Indian and Iranian religions, Historian theorise that following may have happened. At a date lost in history, the single tribe of Aryans of Central Asia split into two parts. One tribe settled down in Iran and the other tribe of Aryans came to India. Then, after some time differences arose between them and they had a fight. As a result, on one hand, the Iranians demonised the Devas and considered Ahuras godly, while on other hand, the Indians demonised the Asuras and considered Devas godly.

Another hypothesis is that the opposition between Asuras and Devas is rooted in Indo-Iranian Aryans social structure. At important festivals, it is postulated that two clans or sub-tribes would compete in making the most perfect ritual offering to the gods, seeking to outdo their peers in beauty of hymns sung, richness of offerings, and minute observance of traditional formulae. One clan would sacrifice to Devas, the other to the Asuras. When Aryan society grew and split between Indian Aryans and Iranian Aryans, the two resulting societies slowly forgot the old agonistic context, and eventually chose one set of deities over the other. Thus, what we now know is that for Indian Aryans, it was Devas = good and Asuras = Bad while for Iranian Aryans, it was the other way round. 

As the process of Globalization gathers pace, the iron smelting, the traditional occupation of the Asurs has become unviable thereby forcing them to migrate to cities. Also, more educated Asurs are giving up their traditions to integrate into the mainstream. The Asurs or Asuras have preserved their traditions for millennia, but will they be able to do the same for the next millennia? Only time will tell. All I can say is that the survival of this unique tribe, still true to their beliefs after thousands of years, is truly a tribute to the cultural diversity of India. So next time when you think that Asuras are Demons or Rakshas, found only in Mythology, think again! Some of them could be standing right next to you. " 

http://akshay-chavan.blogspot.in/2009_09_01_archive.html