What is Durga Puja all about? Who is the 10-armed-goddess to each of us? Even as Kolkata reels under the after-effects of a heinous crime that has left the state shaken to its core, the show, as they say, must go on. Even amidst the trepidation and sense of despair, the five-day festival of Durga Puja creates a sense of hope, for thousands across the city. Hope for sustenance, hope for normalcy and hope for a better tomorrow.
For Zoom’s fifth edition of Durga To You, we reached out to actress Sreelekha Mitra, known, among many other ventures, for Once Upon a Time in Calcutta which had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. In an exclusive interaction Mitra shared what Goddess Durga represents to her in contemporary times and how has Durga Puja changed its meaning to her, over the years.
“To me, Goddess Durga represents hope. She is hope for the betterment of humankind,” Mitra revealed in a candid conversation, adding, “She is hope for justice that we all aspire. She is hope for closure.”
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The acclaimed actress went on to add that Durga Puja to her has always been more about the festivity than any religious implications, stating, “It is a time when people get together, everyone is in a good mood, and the sounds of dhaak permeating the very atmosphere create an ethereal feeling.”
“However, over the last few years, after losing my parents, I have struggled a bit, honestly. I cannot fathom the fact that I cannot buy anything for my parents. I have not bought my mother a saree since 2016. I have not bought anything for my father since 2021. So it is mostly a low key affair for me nowadays. I usually spend Durga Puja with my four-legged babies.”
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But Sreelekha has a message for the Goddess in the backdrop of what transpired a while back in the state. “This year, all I want to say is “Debi pokkho nao. Eibaar Debike ektu pokkho nite hobe, Jodi sottyi Debi thake (Take a stand Goddess. This year you have to take a stand if you are truly there.) Such heinous crimes should not be allowed to happen. There is corruption everywhere and the world has become so rotten. It is so evident, even when you point your fingers towards the perpetrators, nothing happens,” she vehemently expressed, adding, “Now that Devi paksha has started and all these people will pray to the Goddess, I really do not know what they will pray about. There are rampant crimes happening everywhere – is this the kind of society we are living in?
While Mitra reminisces of good times during the Pujas from days gone by, she rues that perhaps the traditions are getting lost in the general sense of cacophony and cut-throat competition.
“Maybe because I am a bit old school, I still remember the beauty of those ekchala idols, with the beautiful Durga’s face etched in the old Bengal style. I was attracted to that simplicity. Now pujas have become all about grandeurs and competition, somewhere it has lost its soul. I miss that sepia toned festivities from the past,” she signed off.
