Durga Puja in Switzerland

Sarbojanin Durgapuja 2008, Switzerland

Please note: CHANGE OF VENUE
New Venue: Schützenhaus Thalwil
Dorfstrasse 65
8800 Thalwil (ZH)
More information (Venue photo, location map, public & private transport) to follow soon.
Apart from & in spite of this, Puja is taking place with its full swing & colour as planned.

Puja Schedule

Puja Days
Purohit: Shri Joydev Bhattacharya, Kolkata

Mahasaptami: Monday
6th October 2008
Puja Start: 08:00 a.m.
Pushpanjali: 11:30 a.m.
Sandhyarati: 18:30 p.m.
Cultural Program: 19:30 p.m.

Mahashtami: Tuesday
7th October 2008
Puja Start: 08:00 a.m.
Pushpanjali: 11:30 a.m.
Sandhyarati: 18:30 p.m.

Sandhipuja: Tuesday
7th October 2008
08:35 p.m. till 09:23 p.m.

Mahanavami: Wednesday
8th October 2008
Puja Start: 08:00 a.m.
Pushpanjali: 11:30 a.m.
Sandhyarati: 18:30 p.m.
Cultural Program: 19:30 p.m.

Bijayadashami: Thursday
9th October 2008
Puja Start: 08:30 a.m.
Pushpanjali: 10:30 a.m.
Bisorjon: 11:00 a.m.
Sindur Khela: 03:00 p.m.

Contacts
Anybody and everybody who are interested to participate in this Durgapuja are kindly requested to contact the Committee at the following e-mail address: mail@swisspuja.com. We will definitely respond to you.

Durgapuja Committee 2008
President:
Mr. Gautam Sengupta
+41 43 810 8317
president@swisspuja.com
Secretary:
Mr. Jyotiprasad Majumder
+41 44 341 0752
secretary@swisspuja.com
Treasurer:
Dr. Shyamapada Coomar
+41 56 406 0221
treasurer@swisspuja.com
Other Committee Members
Dr. Santanu Misra
+41 78 631 8091
ecmember01@swisspuja.com
Dr. Anirban Sadhu
+41 61 534 4914
ecmember02@swisspuja.com
Mrs.Dagmar Dasgupta
+41 44 371 8460
ecmember03@swisspuja.com

The Mythology related to Bengali Tradition
Uma, one of the many incarnations of Goddess Durga, the Divine Mother, was the daughter of Daksha and Menoka, the king and queen of the Himalayas. From her childhood Uma worshipped Lord Shiva, one of the Divine Trinity, as her future husband. Lord Shiva, pleased by her penance, came to marry her. However, her father King Daksha was not impressed by Shiva's attire of tiger skin and ash smeared all over his body. He didnot agree to this marriage but Uma forcefully married Lord Shiva. However, Daksha prevented Uma from going with Shiva to his abode in Kailash.Daksha then organised a special Yagna (worship of Agni, the Lord of Fire), where he invited everybody execpt his son-in-law Shiva to insult him. Uma was ashamed and insulted by her father's rude attitude to her husband and she starved to death. Shiva was enraged when she heard about Uma's death and went to King Daksha's house. He lifted Uma's body over his shoulders and started his famous Mad Dance or "Tandav Nritya". This dance was so aggressive and intense that the enitre Universe was on the verge of destruction. Seeing this Lord Narayana, another of the Divine Trinity, threw his weapon "Sudarshan Chakra" and cut Uma's body into pieces. During this dancing motion, Uma's body parts got scattered throughout India and Shiva was finally pacified when the last piece fell off his shoulder. The places, where these pieces fell, were known as "Shakti Piths" or Places of energy and different incarnation of the Divine Mother are worshipped in these places.Narayana then gave a boon to the dejected and repentent King Daksha that Uma will be reborn in his family and will be married to Lord Shiva. Subsequently, Parvati was born to King Daksha and was married off to Lord Shiva. She then accompanied Lord Shiva to his heavenly abode in Kailash. Every year she comes to her parents' home along with her four children Ganesh, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kartik, who represent Wisdom, Knowledge, Prosperity and Beauty. Since this much awaited visit by the full family takes place once a year, hence this event is associated with so much festivity and celebrations.The image of Goddess Durga, which is worshipped by Bengalis, depict Goddess Durga equipped with lethal weapons in her ten hands and astride a lion as her carrier, killing the Buffalo Demon, "Mahishashur". This Image of Goddess Durga along with her four children on her either side, reminds us of the "Inner Strength" that is required to emerge victorious from the eternal battle between the "Good" and the "Evil".

The Puja Itself

In traditional Bengali household, DurgaPuja is celebrated for ten days and the main portion of the Puja is restricted to 5 days only. The fifteen days from the new Moon to the full Moon is called as "Devi Paksha" or the fortnight of the Goddess. The day of the new moon, i.e. the day before Devi Paksha starts, is known as Mahalaya. Traditionally, the artisans draw the eyes of the Durga Images on this day and this process is called "Chakshu Daan". The Main Puja starts on "Shashtthi" i.e. sixth day of the Devi Paksha, generally from beneath a "Bel" tree. In the early hours of "Saptami" or the seventh day, the "Pran" or life of the the goddess is brought from a nearby pond or water body, wrapped in a Banana Tree and then reinstated on the "Ghat" and then to the Image. The banana tree is wrapped in a new red and white saree and resembles a newly wed bride sitting in a Palanquin, going for her Wedding Bath. This is banana tree is called "Kola Bou" or Banana Bride. The process of virtually implanting life into the Ghat and then into the Image is known as Bodhan.The Main puja or worship starts thereafter and the Primetime is reached during the transition phase or "Sandhikshan" between Ashtami (eighth day) and Navami (ninth day). Special Puja known as Sandhipuja is offered during this period. Arati or prayer with lights takes place every day in the evening starting from Saptami till Navami. Finally on Dashami, i.e. tenth day of Devi Paksha, the puja ends and the image undergoes "Bisarjan" or immersion in a waterbody. This also marks the departure of Goddess Durga along with her four children to her husband's heavenly abode in Kailash. So, traditionally the married Bengali women bid her farewell in a small ceremony known as "Sindur Khela" where they exchange Vermillon marks on each other's foreheads and also on the forehead of Goddess Durga and also feed her sweets, to remind her of the hospitality. Sweets are also exchanged among Bengalis along with "Kolakuli" or mutual hugging and this ritual is known as Bijoya. Bijoya ensures friendship among individuals who then collectively vow to spend the year ahead in Peace and Harmony and to ward of any evil or hardship that may come up as hurdles in their life.

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State Joha producers hit

State Joha producers hit

By Ajit Patowary
GUWAHATI, June 18 – The Government of India ban on the export of non-Basmati rice has landed State’s aromatic Joha rice producers in a tough situation. The Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS) has therefore requested Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Manishankar Aiyar to initiate measures for lifting the ban from this variety of rice produced only in Assam. FASS is a non-Government organization (NGO) operating throughout the world to promote NE Indian cause.Last year, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) arranged export of 17.5 MTs of State’s organic Joha rice to Switzerland through the exporters’ firm M/S Sunstar Overseas Ltd. This year, the State produced 60 MTs of organic Joha with the involvement of 150 farmers of Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Udalguri districts.These farmers tied up with the exporters for another three to four years with the latters agreeing to pay the certification cost and to bear the miscellaneous expenses for exporting this variety of rice. The farmers also secured the NOP certificates mandatory for exporting organic products to the USA. But the ban changed the entire scenario.The Union Government imposed the ban on export of non-Basmati category of rice in mid-October 2007, though it was relaxed for certain countries due to some special considerations on occasions.In its memorandum to the Union Minister, the FASS said that since Joha was grouped under non-Basmati category, its export got forbidden. As per Union Government records, there are only two categories of rice in the country – Basmati and non-Basmati.Joha has a number of varieties like Tulasi Joha (which is similar to Kaljira of Bangladesh), Khorika Joha, Suagmoni Joha etc. While the price of other varieties of non-Basmati rice in the State ranges from Rs 11 to Rs 22 per kg depending on their quality, the price of Joha starts from Rs 25 and goes up to Rs 38 in Guwahati. Joha rice is the expensive variety and has no shortage in the domestic market. For, it is not the common man’s rice and even those who consume this variety of rice do not do it regularly, said Bidyananda Barkakoty of the FASS Guwahati chapter. He also underlined the need to test the aromatic and nutritious qualities of the Joha varieties of rice.The traditional belief in Assam is that Joha varieties of rice help growth of finer qualities in those who consume them regularly, he said.The Union Government ban on the export of non-Basmati category of rice has also created problems for State’s other varieties of rice like Bora Chaul, which resembles the sticky rice of China, Komal Chaul, which is used for cereals etc. For, these varieties of rice also fall under the non-Basmati category, said the FASS in its memorandum to the DoNER Minister.It further said that NE India might practically be called the motherland of rice. Probably, it is here where the Neolithic rice revolution started some time around 6000 BC and spread even to China. With high quality milling and good packaging, the Assam Joha has the potential of competing with any other premium quality rice in the world.Especially, organic Joha rice has tremendous potential in the world market. With such potential, if this variety of rice is cultivated in large areas and marketed world wide another success story, like the small tea growing movement, can be written in the State in the days to come. This will undoubtedly help Assam prosper and perhaps solve many of its social problems largely, said the NGO.According to available information, APEDA has contacted the Union Commerce Ministry on the issue and the Ministry has shown eagerness to help the State farmers.Barkakoty while talking to this correspondent made an appeal to the Assam Government and leading organizations of the State to come forward for wresting registration for the State’s above varieties of rice under the GI Registration regulation. Source: assam tribune