Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Immersion Of Durga

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved

There's little doubt that today's day-long photo shoot was one of the most exhausting I've experienced...I would rank it just under the day-long photo shoots during the Allahabad Maha Kumbh Mela in 2001. Kolkata's legendary heat and humidity, over and above the incessant in-motion kaleidoscope of colors and sound, all contributed to an immensely rewarding day, but also fatiguing.

The day's photo shoot started with thousands of Bengalis married women performing the sindoor (vermillion powder) ceremony, which symbolizes the farewell to the Durga goddess. This ceremony is held at pandals all over the city, and it takes place before the immersion of Durga in the river.

Following the farewell ceremony held at a private residence to which we were invited, the representations of Durga and her four children are loaded on trucks for immersions, a tradition that symbolises her return to her marital abode.

We followed the idols to the ghats, and witnessed at least three large immersions. These ghats were extremely crowded, but I am accustomed to wiggle through the crowds to find a good spot. The rest of the group also did very well in that respect.

Some of the Durga idols were taken for immersion in raucous processions. The loud chants of 'Bolo Durga mai-ki jai' and drumbeats accompanied the idols to the Ganges river. The climax is when the Durga idol is cast in the water. This symbolizes the departure of the deity to her home with her husband in the Himalayas.

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Bauls, Mystic Minstrels

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved

One of the high notes planned (or rather hoped for) for the Kolkata's Cult of Durga Photo Expedition/Workshop was to document a performance by a Baul. After obtaining contact information by Chhandak Pradhan who's assisting me on the workshop, all arrangements were made surprisingly quickly, and we were successful in setting up a private photo shoot, and ultimately fortunate in meeting Satyananda Das and Hori Das.

We photographed both Satyananda and his partner Hori, who's Japanese (with fluent Bengali) and the music and the chants were just mesmerizing. We all had our audio recorders  working full time to capture the various pieces by Satyananda. One of the participants said that if this had been the only thing he returned with from this photo workshop, he's be perfectly content.

Wikipedia defines the Bauls as "a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. They constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Not much is known of their origin."

To the unversed, a Baul may appear as a musician sadhu with a one string instrument, but they are much more than that. Baul philosophy has mixed elements of Tantra, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy- All Rights Reserved

Chhandak in action during the photo shoot and recording session of Satyananda and Hori.

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: Flower Market & Interviews

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Our game plane this morning was to visit the famous flower market in Kolkata, near (and under) the Howrah Bridge. Known as the Mullik Ghat flower market is a sensory overload of sights, and is the destination of small businesses and consumers who are readying themselves for the Durga Puja.

Marigold garlands, roses, lotus flowers, young banana trees, leaves of every shape and genus were on display by the vendors, who either have stalls or just spread their flowers on the ground. The porters are in high demand to carry the loads of flowers back to cars and trucks.

While stopping at two pandals afterward, two of the group members were stopped by local television chains for interviews. Kristine Bailey was interviewed by a local television chain, while Ron Mayhew's interview was with CNN India.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Kolkata's Cult of Durga: The Dhakis

Photo © Tewfc El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Braving a sweltering morning sun, and an accompanying humidity, we drove to Sealdah train station in Kolkata where the dhakis were expected to congregate and beat their drums.

An Indian newspaper wrote “Durga Puja does not assume the festive aura without the maddening beats of the dhak, the large drum that men hang around their necks and play with two thin sticks to infuse the frenzied rhythm into listeners. Those enchanting beats are enough to conjure up the sights and smells of Durga Puja."

Dhakis perform their drum beating in pandals starting from Viswakarma Puja till Kali Puja, but especially during Durga Puja. Pandals without drum beaters would be unthinkable, and organizers vie to hire the best and most energetic of the small bands for their neighborhoods.