Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

38. Bijoya

"শুভ বিজয়া! আসচে বছর আবার হবে।"

Wishing everyone an auspicious and happy Vijaya Dashami. May the Goddess bless you and your family. Just as the evils of Mahishasura were defeated by the goodness of Shakti, may all evil be eradicated from your life. May this festival come again in your lives next year and again and again in the future.🙏

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Dashami
Sampurnaa's pov:

Today is Bijoya Dashami. The Goddess leaves for her heavenly abode at Kailash on this day.
Legend says that Bijoya Dashami is the day the Goddess defeated Mahishasura and restored peace in Triloka ( swarg- heaven, martya- earth, pataal- underwater)
Dashami is celebrated as Dusshera in North and Central India. The day Lord Rama killed Ravana.

Since childhood, I have hated Dashami. As a schoolgoing kid, I would feel upset because Dashami or Dusshera marks the end of Sharadiya festivals and hence the end of holidays. Now, however, it is a different reason. With the end of Durga Puja, it would mean returning back to Mumbai, away from the city I have loved all my life. I would have to wait for an entire year before I can celebrate Durga Puja again.

Sigh! The best things in your life never last too long!
I wasn't the first one to wake up today. When I woke up, Adrija Boudi was up and dressed already. I went and freshened up first.

"Good morning Boudi! Why are you awake this early?" I went and asked her once I was dressed

"Today is Bijoy Dashami! I am going to take part in Sindoor Khela for the first time in Kolkata, after marriage."

I nodded. I could understand her excitement.

I asked her if she needed anything. She asked for some green tea that I quickly got for her and myself.
We both sat in the balcony, sipping our teas. She was telling me about her childhood in Mumbai. She told me about the scattered Durga Pujas that took place in Mumbai. She spoke in annoyance about her father's busy schedule as an IAS. She told me that she was full 18 minutes older to her brother and that she loved teasing him and disturbing him as a kid. She told me that she secretly wished to have a boy while Dada wanted to have a girl.
I joked and told her that she may give birth to twins. She smiled but shook her head.

She also told me about her wish as a sister. She has always wanted to see her brother married someday. She had many expectations from him and her would be sister in-law. By the time she stopped chattering, everyone was up and about. Today we are going for darpan bisarjan followed by boron and sindoor khela.

Within an hour, we were down at the pandal in the society where the priest would perform the last aroti and then bid farewell to the Goddess.

The last aroti took place and the dhak players put in all their energy. I was blowing the conch shell while Maa, Aunty, Dida and the other women were ulu-ating.

The priest then whispered in the Goddess' ears asking her to return to her abode. He made an emulsion of alta( a red, sacred liquid that is applied by married women on their hands and feet traditionally) and water and placed a mirror in it. He adjusted the mirror's position in a way that the deity's face was reflected. Thus, darpan bisorjon was done and we all bid farewell to the Goddess in our hearts.

Darpan Visarjan

This is a ritual when the priest symbolically immerses the idol of the Goddess by seeing her reflection in a bowl of water. Married women are then allowed to perform the ritual of " boron" to the Goddess, a kind of send-off by applying vermillion on the parting of the hair on Goddess's forehead, her feet and then take her blessings. They place sweets on her lips, wishing to see her return again the next year. The actual immersion takes place after Darpan Visarjan.