Live Telecast Of Durga Puja Celebrations

Durga puja symbolises the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil and the underlying hope of the ultimate triumph of all that is good. The battle rages not only against the external enemies confounding us with beguiling appearances but also internally between base and benign instincts in every person.

Doordashan Bangla (DD7 - TV channel) has made arrangements to telecast live Durga puja programs. The viewers residing in India as well as abroad will be able to watch the telecast of puja programs from 6 pm to 12 midnight (Indian standard time) from the sixth day of Durga puja till immersion of Durga idols.

The Hindu Celebrations Begin

The Hindus traditionally observe a "Pitrapaksh" or "Mahalaya"- a fortnight long period of remembrance of one's forefathers - which ends on 22 Sep 06.

On 23 Sep 06, Navratra starts. This also marks the beginning of Dussehara.

Navratra is a festival of worship, dance and music celebrated over a period of nine nights. It is celebrated from first to ninth of Ashwin Shukla Paksh of the Hindu calendar. These nine days are divided into sets of three for the worship of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

On the first day of Navratra, first incarnation of goddess Durga called "Shailputry" is worshipped. The goddess got her name from her birth place which is considered to be in Himalayas.

Navratra celebrations are a beautiful mix of power with devotion. It normally include prayers in the morning, and community gatherings in the evenings at pre-designated places generally spent in singing, dancing, and making new friends and acquaintances.

Though regional variations do exist, but the underlying idea remains same.

Among the prominent regional variations - Durga Puja in Bengal region, Garba is Gujrat- Maharastra and Dussehra North-Cental parts of India are the different forms.

Ganesh Visarjan Today!

Ganesh chaturthi, the celebrations related to Lord Ganesh which started ten days ago comes to an end today.
The idols of Lord Ganesh will be taken out of the pooja-mandap and immersed in water. A procession is taken out from pooja mandap till the water point which is generally sea or lake available in the area. It is worth watching the enthusiasm of people singing and dancing all the way during the procession. It's akin to a carnival but with a religious flavour and ofcourse no liquor is consumed.
If you can't join it, you can atleast watch it on TV. All major Hindi TV channels will be broadcasting it during the day.

Onam Festival - Legend of Mahabali

Onam is a traditional harvest festival of Kerala state in South India. It is celebrated in the memory of a benevolent king Mahabali who ruled the present state of Kerala in ancient times.

The Legend
King Mahabali was an Asura king during whose ruling people lived unitedly without the difference of rich and poor. Hindu lord Mahavishnu decided to test Mahabali. He came to earth as -'vamana' - a poor dwarf, went to king Mahabali and asked him for three feet of land to live. The king laughed and told 'vamana' to take three feet of land from wherever he wished. Suddenly vamana grew in size. He covered the entire earth by one foot and the sky with the other foot. He then asked king Mahabali where was the space for third foot. King Mahabali understood that vamana was not an ordinary person, and has come to test him. So the king without hesitating bowed his head and offered it for the third foot. Vamana placed the third foot on king's head and Mahabali was pushed down under the earth. He was however granted wish to come to earth once a year.
Onam is the day when King Mahabali visits earth.

The Lesson
Is there something to learn?
Think about this - No matter how strong and powerful, everyone is just a tiny part of this universe.