In Kolkata, Durga Puja is the festival that crowns all other festivities. It is the festival in which we celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Many types of pandals are set up on roadsides and the goddess Durga is worshipped as a mother by her devotees.
Durga Ma and her family of four children come to our land from Mount Kailash wearing new, colourful clothes and so do we as we eagerly wait to welcome them. Before Durga puja arrives, my family and I go for a stroll in the supermarket to buy new clothes. However, the crowds in the supermarket make me feel claustrophobic, so I prefer buying clothes online. But, sometimes readymade clothes don’t fit and tailors don’t accept orders by the time we realise that, so our trust lies in safety pins. However, the ecstasy of buying new shoes dies down when we feel the shoe bite blisters up our ankles. When an event pops up amidst Durga puja celebrations, it’s tricky to choose between all the ravishing clothes I purchased. Occasionally, a relative or family friend presents me with another stunning dress for Durga puja and my heart leaps with joy. I have a delightful habit of counting the number of clothes I receive or buy each year. Every time I get a new dress, my joy doubles and adds to my closet’s variety.
My closet beams at me after the puja vacation as it shimmers and shines with all the glamorous clothes. The pretty clothes that I wear make me feel ecstatic and at the top of the world.
Utsa Gupta is a student of Word Munchers, a Kolkata-based creative writing platform.
Image courtesy: Flickr
Utsa Gupta of class 5 is a cheerful bookworm who would do anything to grab a book or listen to some music. She is a fan of Enid Blyton and J.K Rowling’s stories and is a singer too! She loves Durga Puja and waits eagerly for its arrival each year! She studies in Modern High School and is 10 years old.
