Durga Puja 2012

The ancient tradition of Bengal’s fairs is universally acknowledged. This coming together of people across many religions and castes has enriched Bengal’s cultural sphere, repeatedly uniting everyone in the courtyard of celebrations. Amid the gathering of autumn clouds and the sway of kash flowers, all Bengalis revel in the Sharad festival, “Our Dugga Puja”. This, too, is a fair of colors, a fair of union. Therefore, the Durga Puja of Bengalis is no longer merely a religious festival today. Transcending religion and caste, it is a grand gathering of countless souls; at the center of our theme in this vibrant, unconventional fair lies the Ferris wheel. Just as the Ferris wheel is inextricably linked to festivals, fairs, and colors, so too is it intertwined with the play of colors that make up human joy and sorrow. It reflects the rhythm of the whirlpool of everyday life and the watermark of an existence continually spinning within its vortex. This, too, feels like a fairy tale. A sliver of autumn sunshine and the blue sky beckon toward something different, toward other thoughts. The bird of a free spirit longs to spread its wings, “somewhere else, in some other place”. Eternal chanting of mantras, offerings for the puja, surrendering at the goddess’s feet, and the immersion of self-dedication. Then, once again, the monotonous shackles of daily life return. Within this whirlpool moves the perpetual rhythm of time’s law, continually spinning, endlessly turning around the central source of energy. This, too, is life’s Ferris wheel: a game of revolutions woven from joy, sorrow, smiles, and tears.