Hindus Mark Autumn with Celebration

[Guest guest]

Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA (Sep 29, 2006): Hamilton's Malayalee

Samajam Hall was filled with sweets, flowers, fruit and devotional

music as Hindus marked the beginning of fall with the 10-day

celebration of Durga Puja.

 

Hindus observe a series of festivals this time of year, beginning

with worship of the goddess Durga and later Diwali (the festival of

lights).

 

The 10-day long series of Puja (worship) rituals was condensed to a

one-day event here in Hamilton on Saturday to coordinate activities

with temples in Toronto. Sagar Pare (Across the Ocean), a 25-year-

old association of Bengalis from South Asia, organized the Hamilton

celebration.

 

Durga Puja is observed by Hindus in different ways, depending on

where they come from.

 

Punjabis and Gujaratis, for example, have Jagaran (invocation) and

Navratra (nine-nights) respectively. The pageantry and fun of the

Puja festivities are, however, the same. The Punjabi Jagaran has

devotional music and songs (kirtan and bhajan) while the Gujaratis

have a night-long form of dance with sticks (dandia).

 

In Hindu mythology, Durga is a beautiful female warrior riding a

tiger. Durga means inaccessible or insurmountable in Sanskrit. She

comes into existence to battle a monster, Mahishasur.

 

Mahishasur, a water-buffalo demon, was nearly invincible and turned

against his creator.

 

Even the triumvirate of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the

preserver), and Mahesh (the destroyer) were not able to stop him. A

12-armed Durga was created out of the joint energy of Shakti (power)

and finally vanquished Mahishasur. Durga Puja is observed in her

honour to celebrate the victory of virtue over evil and she is

invoked for protection from the powers of evil.

 

As a mother of the universe and symbol of female dynamism, Durga

represents the two inseparable aspects: gentleness and ferocity.

Items like a flower, a wine cup, a conch, a sword and a spear in her

many hands explain how she is capable of performing two opposite

tasks: showering peace and love on the one hand and jealously

guarding righteousness against evil on the other. Accordingly, in

her benign appearance she is called Uma (the light), Gauri (yellow

or brilliant) or Jagatmata (the-mother-of-the-world); in her

fearsome form she is known as Kali (the black), Chandi (the fierce)

or Bhairavi (the terrible).

 

In modern times, apart from creating a cultural setting, the Hindu

immigrants look for ways to impress upon their children the

significance of Durga who is worshipped along with at least two

other female deities: Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge) and Laxmi

(the goddess of wealth). All aspects of life are represented by

individual deities who have different messages, demands and

obligations.

 

Durga carries the moral story of the confrontation of the spiritual

urge of man with his baser instincts or passions: the triumph of

truth over the sinfulness. Scholars of Islam say the term jihad also

has the same original meaning. In the end, all religions in their

true form point to the same god and devotion is a way to gaining

that spiritual experience.

 

The Indian sub-continent may have many forms of god or even

religion, however, the concept of devotion remains the same. As an

illustration, the devotional songs and composition of a famous

Muslim poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam, are dedicated to Durga. His

compositions are popularly played in parts of India and Bangladesh.

People not familiar with the South Asian culture may find it

anachronistic: how could there be prayers to the Hindu deities

written and composed by a devout Muslim in whose religion idol-

worship is said to be prohibited?

 

SOURCE: The Hamilton Spectator, Ontario, Canada. Hindus mark fall

with a celebration. By Binoy Shanker Prasad. A former Fulbright

scholar, Binoy holds a PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia

in the United States and teaches politics at Ryerson University.

Originally from India, Binoy lives in Dundas and is the president of

the India-Canada Society which co-sponsors the annual Gandhi Peace

Festival in Hamilton. Binoy also sits on the Hamilton Media Advisory

Council.

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