Asche bochor aabar hobe!

The festivity has ended and we are slowly resorting to routine.
It is that time again when we all sing along, "Asche bochor abar hobe!" The celebration ends and the wait for the asche bochor  begins.
Now, there will be lines to pay utility bills and not to see pandals, the over stuffed shopping bags will be replaced by briefcases, the red colour of sindoor khela will reflect in the red traffic signal lights.
After a much needed, mid-year break, Calcutta resumes to routined activity.
The businessman returns to his schedule of 9:00-5:00 and the restaurant owner will wait for another year, until business will be brisk again. The newspaper offices worked through the festival, producing one special edition after another but finally, on Dashami even they had their day off and now return to regular copies once again.

Let us all wait for the asche bochor,  and as the wait prolongs, let's hope that all our prayers are answered.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Vijaya Dashami!

The Puja frenzy continues

Getting.......

Dressed up!

Ma Durga arrives in all her splendour! The city lives its busiest part of the year- a time of fun and frolic, celebration and rejuvenation.

It's funny how the same period in the calendar can be marked in several ways by people from different walks of life.

For those related to the world of finance, Durga Puja is a five day long holiday, if it is after the Closing of September 30th.

People in the hotel industry and all allied services CANNOT take a holiday during this period.It is the season of highest footfall, highest sales and highest profits. Therefore, highest requirement of fully trained workforce.

The media personnel continue to report and write. In fact, with a change in the regular routine of the people, their style of working also changes as there's much more to report on.

The shop owners, mall managers and others involved in such services gear up for the hyper activity that awaits at their doorstep!

The laborers who creatively design the pandals and idols, take pride in their work and step out with their family to enjoy the enigmatic creations.

No matter,which field you belong to, in Kolkata, Durga Puja always has a special, unique significance for everyone.It's a date-mark period in the calendar, right from the start of a new year.Enjoy this much awaited five day frenzy!

Clay turns creative!

If you're a Calcuttan, or even remotely related to the City of Joy, you know what Durga Puja means. Its a spirit of celebration that overshadows all other festivals! The whole city is in a mode of rejuvenation and rejoicing the homecoming of Goddess Durga. According to mythological studies, Ma Durga is said to descend to Earth during this time of the year, and she chooses her maternal home- Calcutta. She arrives with all her four children, and brings along merriment, joy, splendor, glamour and everything else that a festival can possibly bring to a region!
Two days ahead of this Bengali festival, here's unveiling the Run-up-for-Durga Puja. The Goddess in making- her eyes change expressively and animatedly through the process of the making of the idol, her worship and conclusively, just as she is immersed at the end of the festivity.
Trying to capture these splendidly divine moments in a memory-chip!

The magnificent eyes

The hand that shapes the hand

Minute details 

Tinctures and Colours!

Just clay

Her lion in making

Mahishasur- the devil.
Its fascinating how the same hands give shape to the Divine and the Devil

Half-way through

Her Children.

The hand,er, Face behind it all!

Heads in a row

Eyes are a brush stroke away!

Silver hair brings experience to excel with the Golden paint!