When the country was celebrating Durga Puja by worshiping Devi Durga, the symbol of women power, a young Muslim girl in a remote Jammu village turned to be “ Durga” and killed a dreaded Lashkar terrorist on Sunday. Exhibiting astonishing courage, Rukhsana Kausar confronted a group of Lashkar terrorists who had barged into their home late Sunday night. The brave girl snatched an AK-47 from one of the terrorists, and shot one to death, injured another and send the others running for their lives. Rukshana was trained by the village defence committee how to fire an assault rifle. The training helped her for the courageous act. She said “I pushed a terrorist into the wall. I hit him with the butt of the gun and then fired several times.” It is reported that the deceased militant was identified as commander Osama, of Pakistani origin.
Archive | September 2009
Vijaya Dashami
After bidding adieu to Maa, our waiting for her homecoming next year has started now.
Wish you all a very happy Vijaya Dashami
Festival – a new page introduced
There is a proverb in Bengali that in twelve seasons, there are 13 festivals (Baro Maase tero parbon). A page named festival (Go to page ‘Festival)has been introduced in this blog, just to give you a glimpses of those “thirteen” festivals. Festive season is on in full swing and greatest festival of Bengal, Durga Puja, has began. In fact has already started from the day of Mahalaya on 18th September with the invocation of Goddess Durga. This will last for Five days from 24ay Sep 2009 (Shashthi) to 28th Sep 2009 (Dashami). The idols of Goddess Durga are made by the artisans based on the theme of the puja / pandal and as a whole takes the shape of Art Exihibition due to competetions and every puja committee tries to be the best.
To read about Durga Puja, go to my another post “Durga Puja”.
Wish you a very Happy Durga Puja,
><<<<<<>>>>>>
.
Mahalaya : Invocation of Maa Durga
Like every year, this year too Durga Puja is at our doorstep. All around atmoshphere in the nature and everywhere reminds us the festival. Today is Mahalaya. Seven days before Durga Puja, “Mahalaya”, an auspicious occasion, is observed. This auspicious occasion heralds the coming of Maa Durga and begins the festivity to welcome her on this earth. It’s a kind of invitation (or we should say invocation) to the mother goddess to descend on earth and thats why we chant saying – ‘Jago, Maa Jago’. Invocation of Mother Durga is done through the chanting of mantras, singing devotional songs and scriptural verses from “Chandi”. Since early 1930s, the early morning Radio program ”Mahishasura Mardini” of Akashbani Kolkata on the Mahalaya day became a part of Bengali culture and the tradition is still continuing and nothing could change its originality as well as its popularity.
The story line goes like this : due to increasing cruelty of the demon king Mahishasura against the gods, the Gods pleaded Vishnu to annihilate the demon. The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara (Shiva) come together to create a powerful female form with 10 arms – Maa Durga or Mahamaya, the Mother of the Universe, who embodies the primeval source of all power. The Gods then bestow upon this supreme creation their individual blessings and weapons. Armed like a warrior, the goddess rides a lion to battle with the Mahishasura. After a fierce combat the Durga is able to slay the asura king with her trident. Heaven and earth rejoice at her victory.
Another seven days to go to start the festival. To read more about the festival, please go to my another post named : Durga Puja
<<<<<>>>>>
All are in hurry to make a shortcut to hell
They are in hurry. No use of waiting for Green Signal
While driving on the city roads, I have experienced that the Calcuttans are in the habits of violating traffic rules and they take their life in their hands while crossing the roads. Every time you may not be that lucky, some time you may be caught and then it takes a shape of an accident. Many times I experienced such violation of traffic rules by the pedestrians just in front of my car, which made me to write this post.
In front of the moving cars
People of Kolkata are in the habits of simply walk across the street without bothering the moving traffic simply raising a hand at the oncoming speedy vehicles, expecting them to stop. That way Kolkata is a paradise of jaywalkers.
Many times ladies, maid servants with school kids in tow, simply walk across the roads when the traffic is on the move, raising a hand to the moving vehicles. This is the trend in Kolkata and this type of violation practices by the students, young, olds, literates, illiterates all section of people violate rules and happily take their life into risk while crossing the roads. This violations often take into a ugly shape of accidents and all public sympathy go to the victims though the accident occurred due to their faults and violation of traffic rules.
Following Zebra lines but they too are in hurry
Another type of violation of traffic rules by the pedestrians has come to my notice that in the busy crossing like Gariahat more where a group of people just jumps to the road in front of the moving vehicles and forced them to stop despite the signal is Green.
People of Kolkata think themselves as most intelligent which make them try to go shortcut everywhere. They not only cross the roads by raising one hand to the moving vehicles (like a traffic police) but also they are in the habit of standing in the middle of the roads for boarding a bus. Private buses oblige them which makes the people more in-disciplined and both (buses and passengers) don’t bother to stand in the Bus stand. Drivers of the State owned buses some times try to teach them a lesson by just not picking them up, but due to the private buses the practice continues and they are beyond correction because of the culture of the private buses. Only way out to stop these violations is to make the law more stringent and enforce them strictly with heavy penalties/fines.
(Picture : Times of India)
