Powai Durgotsav ’09 !


Durga Puja has been a festival of intrigue and great happiness. The pomp, the revelry. The gathering. And ofcourse, art and culture. All are on display here ! Check out last year !

At Powai there is this wonderful recreation of the ‘Sun Temple’ at Konark ! Here are some pictures ! All structures here are made out of Plaster, thermocol and wood. And to be dismantled in a weeks time !

Yesterday, there was ‘Anondamela‘. Where people sold stuff that made at home. ( stuff as in ‘food’)!


For a southerner like me, to see chicken Kababs and Fish fry sold in the same venue where there is a ‘puja‘ on, to put it mildly, is strange. But then, when they are sold and they look delicious, they are to be had ! You bet they were delicious.

By the time we reached, there was gathering on stage. And was this mention by a gent ( i don’t know who he was ) about the Times of India carrying a bigger photograph of the Powai puja, than the one at Lokhandwala.

I wonder why that should matter. About being better than Lokhandwala ! Or about… TOI….But quite a lot of people were happy. And they all clapped. Sure there must be reason.

They have an interesting array of programs on the menu over the next few days ! Do catch a glimpse !



While the pictures speak for themselves on what you probably will find there, i can tell you, the festive air and the spirit of the Pujo are to be experienced to be believed !

15 thoughts on “Powai Durgotsav ’09 !

  1. The benefit of technology.
    Atleast when we are busy friends like you are present And we on tour.
    Thankyou ! Thankyou ! Thankyou !

  2. Neha says:

    like always, beautiful shots…but, I get really scared of travelling to powai from my place because of the traffic…and you anyways narrate it all so beautifully and the pictures are amazing too…so I am happy looking at them…:)

  3. thanks! That’s a nugget of what goes on in Calcutta…and no one takes better pics than you!
    Sure, kababs and stuff like that need to be sold at venues like this more often!! 😛

  4. Rush says:

    never been to any durga pujas, but yeah heard of the LOkhandwala one…abhijeet and wife used to create a huge hullah about it…clothing, jewelry…an inhouse event before the actual one.

    give me more pictures Kavi…especially one of the procession!!please!!

  5. ♥ Braja says:

    Well, I’m in Durga-puja Loka 🙂 The heart of West Bengal, in a village….phew….

    Pray for me Kavi :))

  6. Non-veg food and aruguments about who is better than whom – both are very close to the heart of the typical Bengali.

  7. Aparna says:

    A little bit on the non-veg food being sold at Puja venues, Bengalis are Shaktas, that is they worship Shakti, and since animals were sacrificed at the alter of Goddess Kali, the meat used to be consumed as prasad. (Generally that animal used to be a goat). Animal sacrifices have stopped a long time back, but consumption of meat and fish still continue.The bhog however is vegetarian. Unlike Brahmins of other community, Bengali Brahmins eat meat. However the Vaishnavs, do not. (They are the followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu)Their population however is very small.
    Be on the look out for a woman and 2 girls eating a lot at the venue. I look exactly like my photograph.

  8. Lovely pictures…food is awesome during Puja’s!! I am from Kolkata and its lovely to celebrate Puja’s with my friends!!

  9. Sriram says:

    awesome pics. the stuctures are impressive. i echoe ur views on non-veg stuff sold in puja place. yea, strange!

  10. amreekandesi says:

    They do some funky stuff for the Durga poojas!

    The other day i saw some pictures of a puja pandal constructed with an Egyptian theme.

    I went to the local pooja today. They had a bengali ‘rock’ band playing, with the lead playing a harmonium! 🙂

  11. Kavi says:

    Hobo : You have more coming !! 🙂

    Neha : Scared of traveling to Powai ! I am glad that you mention the traffic !! 🙂

    Take a look at any Pandal close by ! Its the spirit and the weave in the air, that will clothe the soul !

    roshini : thank you ! And you have more coming !

    Rush : Ofcourse, there will be more pictures ! Ofcourse !

    🙂

    Braja : Hope you are all recovered and fine !! Take care. And enjoy the Puja !

    🙂

    Sucharita : And who better to make that plain and simple to me ! 🙂

    Aparna : Ah ! Ok..That was insightful. Thank you. It fits in..

    And i have tried looking for you. and thats meant looking at all women there…and that is a little distracting !! 🙂

    NR : Ofcourse..the food is just too good !

    Sriram : Thank you ! But..The air and the spirit is something that the pictures dont tell !!

    Amreekandesi : I heard that in Cal, they have a pandal with a Obama theme !

    Thats the ultimate irony in Red India’s citadel !

    🙂

  12. manju says:

    Lovely pictures, Kavi! The recreation of the Sun Temple is wonderful, and very tasteful, I must say! Not too gaudy or ‘loud’.

    I love this season of festivals- except for the traffic jams, of course! 🙂

  13. nsiyer says:

    EXTREMELY WELL TAKEN OUT PICS. BRILLIANT KAVI AND AS USUAL THE COMMENT WHY POWAI SHOULD BE BETTER THAN LOKHANDWALA.

  14. kaushik says:

    there is a durga pandal in Powai…never knew it when i was there 🙁

    Awesome pics…

  15. Jeevan says:

    The structure looks real! nice pictures.

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