Bidding adieu till next year...

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Statesman News Service KOLKATA, Oct 9: Idols of goddess Durga and her entourage were lowered gently into the river Hooghly since Dashami morning. While some bid the Goddess a tearful adieu, most were busy dancing to the rhythmic beat of the dhak. Women of every locality gathered in their nearby pandals for sindur khela. Mrs Tuhina Dastidar of Manicktala Chaltabagan said: “More than one hundred women gathered at the pandal for sindur khela this morning. Before the idols were taken out of the pandal, like every year, dhunuchi nach has been performed."Approximately 2,000 devotees gathered at various ghats on the banks of the river Hooghly this afternoon to watch goddess Durga and her entourage be immersed. Women sounded the ullurdhoni and blew the conch. Coolies helped devotees down the slippery steps of the ghat to lower their beloved Goddess and her children into the river Hooghly. Nearly 450 small community pujas and nearly 359 domestic pujas will immerse Durga idols in the river Hooghly today. Kolkata Police and the Pollution Control Board have made arrangements to keep the river free from pollution. “It is always sad to say goodbye to the Goddess and Durga Puja, after four days of fun and happiness. But we're looking forward to next year and hope the puja comes quickly,” said Mrs Rama Bhattacharjee, a member of Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee. As the shadows grew longer on Dashami day, the purohit reverberated chants of Sanskrit hymns and sprinkled holy water from the Ganga on bowed heads of all who wished Durga Puja 2009 would come soon. source: the statesman

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Durga Puja in Siliguri West Bengal

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People out for pandal hopping!
SILIGURI, Oct. 7: The crowd at the pandals across Siliguri kept on increasing; the aroma of incense sticks continued to be thicker and cultural programmes unfolded in more numbers as Durga Puja entered its second day yesterday. People started pandal-hopping early morning yesterday to avoid the rush in the evening, while a large number of revelers thronged the pandals in Siliguri this afternoon, as they feared rain in the evening. “With dark ominous clouds hovering over the Siliguri skyline, whose roads are still wet from overnight squalls and heavy showers this morning, the threat of rains spoiling the Mahaashtami evening, looks real. So, we decided to go around pandals in the afternoon,” said Ms Pritha Roy, a resident of Vivekananadapally. The second day of Durga Puja ~ Mahasaptami ~ began with the bathing of a banana plant yesterday. After the ritual, special ritual for Saptami started. A large number of devotees gathered in pandals to pray to Durga and many of them offered pushpanjali (prayer) yesterday. However, according to the Siliguri Traffic Police, the rush on Saptami was not as much as they had expected. “The rush not heavy the way it was last year. Due to the low turnout at pandals, restrictions on two-wheelers and four-wheelers were lifted at 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.,” said Mr Prashanta Chanda, DSP, Traffic. With the footfall in pandals likely to increase today, especially if the sky remain clear in the evening, traffic congestion may turn out to be a huge problem. But Mr Chanda assured that they had taken enough precautions.n SNS
source: the statesman

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Durga Puja in Cooch Behar

A tradition kept up...
Debashis Bhaumik COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 7: Indian mythology gives us stories is Durga in her many forms. One such form ~ Baro Devi is worshipped with great grandeur at the Debibari temple in Cooch Behar. Hundreds of devotees witnessed the sacrifice of buffalo, goats and pigeons that were offered to the diety at the temple on the occasion of Mahaastami, today.Baro Devi is a deity worshipped by the Cooch Behar royal family. The idol is different from that of Durga. According to legend, Maharaja Nara Narayan started the puja in 1533 AD. after he had a dream. The idol of Baro Devi was made in accordance to the description of his dream. The idol remains identical to the first one till date to keep the tradition alive and Punyeswar Chitrakar of Chitrakar family of Dodeyarpar has been entrusted to make the idol this year. The puja is performed under Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board (DTB) ~ the guardian body of all temples and religious places of erstwhile Cooch Behar. The DTB is running under the state tourism department. Human sacrifice ~ Nara-Boli ~ was a part of the puja tradition in Cooch Behar but since the heinous act is longer permitted, that tradition is maintained symbolically by sacrificing a human image made of rice-powder on the Maha-Astami night during gupta-puja (secret worship). Human blood is needed to perform the gupta-puja. A man from Roy family of Kaljani village supplies the blood by piercing his fingers as a hereditary act. The Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board pays him for the act. According to sources, once nearly 150 people were sacrificed during the puja which earned the ruling king a lot of fame and accolade. Later, the system was discontinued.Sacrifice is a major part of the Baro Devi puja. Goats, buffaloes, hogs and numerous pigeons are sacrificed here. Sacrifice of hog is a speciality of Baro Devi puja, which is done during Chaliya-Bariya puja ritual. The puja ends on Maha-Navami. The large image is sliced into pieces and immersed at Jamuna (Lamba) Dighi. During the Raj, the Maharaja, would sit on an elephant to set a Khanjan (wagtail) bird free on Bijoya Dashami during Yatra-puja ritual. The last time a Khanjan was set free was in 1969.A fair is also organised during the puja days around the Baro Devi temple at Debi Bari in Cooch Behar. Numerous devotees from distant places come to witness the puja and offer anjali to the Baro Devi. source: the statesman

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West Bengal Kolkata Durga Puja

Bengal steps up surveillance for Durga Puja

Govt tells organizers to erect watch towers at puja venues, asks hospitals to be ready to handle any emergency

Rajdeep Datta Roy

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has stepped up efforts to cope with emergencies ahead of the Durga Puja—the state’s biggest festival—asking five largest state-run hospitals here to set aside 50 beds each and giving them Rs10 lakh each to to stock medicines and boost infrastructure.

“It was just a rumour that took 150 lives,” said Subrata Narayan Sarkar, special commissioner of Kolkata Police, referring to Tuesday’s stampede in a temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

“It does not (even) have to be a crude bomb. Whispers can be killing,” he said, adding that the police are more “alert this year than ever before”.

The city hasn’t faced a terror attack since January 2002, when security personnel guarding the American Centre were shot at. Four policemen were killed and 20 injured in the incident.

The state’s home secretary, Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti, said although there are no specific inputs from intelligence agencies, the administration wasn’t taking chances.

Sarkar said the government has stepped up surveillance in the past few weeks, but the biggest concern is lack of crowd management methods. The most vulnerable are the popular community pujas, which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors during the five-day festival that begins on Sunday.

Puja organizers have been told to install surveillance cameras and erect watch towers, while the police are training locals to manage the crowd, he said. “We are relying heavily on local people though we are going to deploy over 15,000 policemen.”

But the organizers of most community pujas say they do not have the resources to maintain a strict vigil. “Neither do we have the money, nor people,” said Subir Ghosh, joint secretary of Bosepukur Sitala Mandir Durgotsav Committee, which organizes a popular community puja in south Kolkata. “When central agencies are failing to check terror, what could we do?”

But not all have given up and some are going the extra mile to protect visitors. While sniffer dogs will be deployed at Babubagan Sarbojonin Durgotsav in south Kolkata, Shuruchi Sangha Club in New Alipore area would be providing walkie-talkies to volunteers to manage the crowd.

Meanwhile, the state’s health department, which is trying to launch trauma care centres at the five major Kolkata hospitals ahead of the puja, wants to turn them into permanent facilities. “It will not be a one-off measure but will continue even after the puja, Diwali and Kali Puja,” said Krishnangshu Ray, medical superintendent and vice-principal at state-owned RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The other measures planned by the state health authorities at these hospitals include the setting up of teams of multidisciplinary experts who will be on call through the festivities.

“Our doctors are well trained but in case the need arises, we will get in touch with army doctors,” said Anup Roy, medical superintendent and vice-principal of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, which has already held initial discussions with the Army.

The government, however, doesn’t seem to have paid much attention to the blood banks. “The stock fluctuates depending upon donors,” said Roy, admitting that no special arrangements have yet been made to keep donors on standby. The state-run Central Blood Bank currently has a stock of 5,000 units—the maximum it can store. Its director A.K. Mondol said, “We have an average stock of 5,000 units and we haven’t got any directive to augment it. I can’t just stockpile blood which has a (shelf) life of one month.”

A paucity of ambulances is another issue that the government seems to have overlooked. Even the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s fleet is in a shambles.

“We have about a dozen ambulances, but many are in the workshop,” said deputy chief municipal health officer J.C. Roy. “Even those that are there are old and not equipped to provide emergency medical services,” he added.

Romita Datta and Aveek Datta contributed to this story.

sourcE: livemint.com

Durga Puja in Mahisadal Kolkata West Bengal

The rural feel of Pujas in Mahisadal

Biswabrata Goswami
MAHISADAL, Oct. 1: The traditional countdown to the Durga Pujas begins with the Mahalaya, celebrated a couple of days ago. While less than a week remains for the grand festival, if you’re one of those who’s still contemplating on a destination to visit, perhaps considering Mahisadal as an option would be interesting. Reveling in the rural feel of the Pujas in Mahisadal could be an experience of a lifetime.

Mahisadal is one such place where community pujas, like bari pujas, are observed in the traditional way. In more recent times, community pujas, locally termed baroari pujas, have run riot with wacky themes. But the traditional puja held in the Mahisadal Royal palace continue to hold considerable appeal.

Although the majesty and festivity surrounding these century-old pujas are gradually fading into a remembered past, they still appeal and attract the

common people here. The residents of Mahisadal and its surrounding areas eagerly await Durga Pujas throughout the year.

The Mahisadal royal family puja starts with the Mahalaya. Queen Janakidevi first started this puja in 1778. Earlier, a large number of cultural events would be held during the Pujas but now with most of the members of the family staying outside Bengal, such events are no longer held.
Here, goddess Durga is decorated and ornamented with the use of thermocol in the traditional style, akin to the idol of Goddess Durga that was first installed by the queen Indranidevi during her regime.

In the past, animal sacrifices would be made to the Goddess, but this custom too was abolished during the freedom struggle. Many old customs were subsequently abrogated.

The Pujas held in the Roy and Mishra families of Basulia and Baruttarhingli respectively of Mahishadal are similar. Both these Pujas are over 300 years old. Apart from pujas, the chariot festival held on the day of Bijoyadashami in the predominantly Muslim dominated Rambag area is another major attraction for the residents of Mahisadal. People from all parts of Mahishadal and Haldia town gather in Rambag for this fair.

Previously, the chariot would be decorated with brass ornaments. However, the original chariot has now been replaced by a chariot about ten feet in height. The festivities centre around Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita. On this particular day, the idol of Ram is taken from the Ramjew temple and placed on the chariot. The chariot is then driven to a nearby field where small huts are erected and an artificial Ashokekanan is built.source: the statesman

Assam ranks as ‘most corrupt’ State

NEW DELHI, June 29 – Assam has earned the dubious distinction of being the most corrupt State in the country, on the basis of corruption in 11 vital services. Corruption level was alarming in four other States, as well. The latest India Corruption Study 2007 conducted jointly by Transparency International and Centre for Media Study and released by Vice President Hamid Ansari on Saturday is embarrassing news for Assam, where corruption level was described as ‘alarming’. The four States, which follow Assam include Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The grouping of States on corruption reflects position of States in the context of eleven services. The eleven services included ‘basic services’ like PDS, hospital service, school education, electricity and water supply services and ‘need -based services’, like land records, registration, housing service, forest, NREGS, banking service and police service (traffic and crime)). The study does not include operational irregularities in the system and even corruption that does not involve citizens directly.The study covered all 31 States and Union Territories and is focused on the poorest and rural areas. It included below the poverty line people (BPL) in both rural areas and urban slums.The level of corruption in all the 11services studied in Assam and Madhya Pradesh was alarming. In Delhi and West Bengal, for example, corruption level was moderate in most services surveyed. Among smaller States of the north-east, like Nagaland and Goa, corruption level was alarming, whereas in Meghalaya and Sikkim, it was very high. In Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur the level was high, while in Tripura and Mizoram it was found to be moderate. The total bribe amount involved in a year in BPL households availing the eleven services is estimated at Rs 8,830 crore. Based on the incidence of bribe paid by sample BPL households, an estimate is made for the total amount paid as bribe by BPL households in the country during the last one-year in the eleven services. School education (up to class XII and government schools) among the 11 services studied stands last in the ranking meaning the level of corruption is the lowest among all. While police service stood number one. The land records and registration and house and plot, which are specially tailored for BPL households, stand at two and three respectively in the rank. The level and extent of corruption in police service was high in all States, as if it is universal – but the ranks of other services show variations across the States. Given the nature of need-based services, which are monopolistic or involve asset creation or volume, these services ranked high on corruption as compared to basic services.Releasing the report, the Vice president said the report brings to light the negative impact of competitive politics on targeted schemes aimed at the poor. It has reported instances of BPL, SC/ST and other vulnerable households of being told by political activists of a linkage between benefits and electoral preferences. “This, to the extent it is true, amounts to political corruption in its damaging form since it undermines the very institutions of democracy at all levels. A national consensus at its avoidance is thus imperative,” he opined.

source: assam tribune

‘Eastern India becoming hotspot for women traffickers’ - NHRC

‘Eastern India becoming hotspot for women traffickers’

KOLKATA, June 22 – Eastern India, including the North Eastern states, are becoming a hotspot for women traffickers like never before, warned a study. The study, conducted by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), suggests that trafficking of women and children from the Northeastern States has assumed a serious dimension. In the North East, areas near Pangsau Pass in Arunachal Pradesh, Dimapur in Nagaland and Moreh in Manipur are the major transit and demand centres. “Women and children from Assam and Bangladesh are trafficked to Moreh in Manipur and sent to Myanmar and other South East Asian countries through the Golden Triangle,” the report said. Women and children from Jorhat in Assam, Mokokchung and Tuensang in Nagaland and Bangladesh are sent through Pangsau Pass to Myanmar and then to Bangkok, it added. The report attributed “insurgency, ethnic clashes and community conflicts” to be the main reason behind the vulnerability of women and children in North East. Apart from the northeastern region, the traffickers also target tribal girls from Orissa, Jharkhand and from the minority communities in Bihar and West Bengal. “Girls from poor families are lured away with false promise of jobs, but they mostly end up in brothels of Kolkata, Mumbai or as domestic help in Noida or Delhi,” Member of National Commission for Women Malini Bhattacharya said. “Apart from being forced to work in brothels, many are sold off as bonded labourers to farm owners in Punjab and Haryana,” she added. – PTI

Centre rules out separate state of Gorkhaland

Centre rules out separate state of Gorkhaland

June 14, 2008 14:51 IST

The Centre on Saturday ruled out any possibility of carving out a separate state of Gorkhaland from West Bengal as demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, but said it was ready for talks.
"There is no question of creating a separate state of Gorkhaland," External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of Merchants' Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata.

The government, he said, was ready to hold talks with GJM, but without any precondition.
He also held a brief meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya on this issue during the day.

The GJM has renewed the demand for Gorkhaland originally demanded by Gorkha National Liberation Front chief Subhas Ghising before settling for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

The GJM had called an indefinite bandh in Darjeeling hills and in some parts of adjoining Terai and Dooars region demanding a separate Gorkhaland on June 10.
They had asked all tourists to vacate the hills overnight.

The hill party had relaxed the bandh for 60 hours from 4 pm on June 11 for easy exit of stranded tourists and facilitating the hill people to buy food and essentials.

Source: http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/14gor.htm