From the sound of the dhak to the grace of the dhunuchi naach , from the delectable khichuri to the sweet payesh , the time has come to welcome Maa Durga. The Bengalis have built their pandals with the magnificent moorti of Maa being dressed, pampered and entertained. And while the Bengali men are readying their dhotis and cream silk kurtas , the Bengali women have pulled out of their closets their traditional white saris with red borders, something our very own Bong beauty Sushmita Sen looks magnificent in. And as we admire her in the authentic attire, she voices, "The Bengali sari reflects the dignity of Bengali women. It's my earliest memory of me with my didima, pishima in Kolkata wearing this very beautiful attire so casually, with a big tikka and a chabi ka challa on the other side also very casually knotted. But yet so dignified. I get very insecure when I wear the sari because I'm sure I don't look half as good as the senior ladies of the family, you just can't compare to them..." Sushmita is a Delhi girl, but her mother hails from Allahabad and her father from Kolkata. "We celebrated Durgotsab in both cities, and whichever way we went – be it Kolkata or then Allahabad – we were spoilt rotten," reminisces the actor. "We were a middle class family, and according to custom were allowed to shop for new clothes only during Durga puja . But unlike many others, we got a new outfit every day of the five-day puja . Now that was a luxury then!" sighs Sen. But pujas aren't the same anymore for Sush. "For starters, my celebrations in Kolkata and Allahabad have stopped because I'm mostly traveling," she complains, "And nobody celebrates Durga puja like they do. When I'm in Bombay, however, I make it a point to go to the pandal with my daughter Renee on Saptami and Ashtami , and then on Dashami or Dassera we stand at our window and bid goodbye to the Goddess. Renee sometimes likes to run down and touch Her feet. I'd really like to do that, too. But once when I did, there was a stampede, and I realized that it's okay not to, if it creates discomfort to so many other people. One can even stand at a distance and show shraddha ." With a splendid Durga temple in her own house, Sushmita's daughter Renee has grown up listening to stories about the Goddess. "Renee is an intuitively beautiful child, and asks so many questions, some of which I've answers to and some, I don't. Then I call my bappida for help. He's a very knowledgeable man, the storyteller of the family. He always spiced it up for my cousins and me so that it was never boring, which is why we've all grown up to have a very personal equation with God," explains Sush. " Bappida started off by telling us the basic good versus evil stories," she recalls, "And then one day narrated to me my favourite story - of how Durga was born and how her ten hands hold the weapons of the ten gods that created her, and how the gods were amazed that when they asked for the ultimate shakti to be born it took the female form! That's where my pride of being a woman comes from. It was a beautiful way of being introduced to the concept of womanhood." Today on Maha-Ashtami , Sushmita can't wait to go to the pandal . She says, "I'll revel in the beautiful, thundering sound of the shankha , and the mesmerizing visual of Maa which I haven't been able to get over even today. She's so vivacious, She makes me cry! What am I going to ask my Durga? Since the last ten years, I've only said 'thank you', even if I've a list of things to ask of Her. Because if you believe She knows everything, She knows what you want. And by saying thank you, you are putting serious pressure on Her because you've already shown your gratitude, and She's left with no choice but to make it work!" source:http://movies.indiatimes.com
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