Poem by- Uday Shankar Durjay

Goddess Durga : Blowing the Dust Off

The priest of the temple has just rung the bell and we are getting ready faster than the clock. Smokey clouds from candles and dhup are blowing up; We would smell it with peach in our mind. We go back to childhood in October with the drums beat, dhup smell, and new clothes. We can imagine those sacred words have still been endless surrounding us. We used to wake up early morning before starting the Durga puja festival; the sun was behind the dark and we would open the door quietly and every careful step was taken away to the temple. We would wait outside the barricade of the front door of the temple. We would see the face of Durga, Ahsur, Ganesh which are made of clay. No colours, not dressed up, no decoration just a clay world in front of our eyes. An obsession means late Autumn would knock the door, a whispering means goddess Durga is coming through riding the horse blowing the dust off. We have been always curious about Ganesh, why he has got an elephant’s head? Among the five days of our dream festival, Astomi and Dashomi were very exciting days. We would close our eyes, put hands together and pray. Goddess Durga is a symbol of the power of the woman. She is the warrior woman who most of them riding a lion.. Women are not incapable, they are precious; they can save the earth from the enemy.