Durga Pujo from an Atheist’s Perspective
Spring in Perth entails the wildflower season and the arrival of sun-soaked days. It’s a hasty time for the BAWA members as well. Planning for Durga Pujo becomes a hot topic, be it brainstorming new ideas, menu selection and food preparation, or be it executing the most creative decoration — we have it all in our pujo.
Durga Pujo celebration is not just a religious festival for me. It’s the largest social gathering — a vibrant melting pot of minds, creative ideas, and connecting bonds between friends, families, strangers and newcomers, all intertwined with celebrating the divine in their unique ways.
After being an active and articulate member of BAWA for over fifteen years, I believe it’s important to uphold certain BAWA Durga Pujo traditions to maintain cultural and social connections and reconnect with our Indian/Bengali heritage. Pujo is also an opportunity for us to come together as a community to express our gratitude to our senior members and engage our younger generation in a more meaningful way. This will nurture a sense of responsibility and leadership among them.
On the other hand, I believe it’s important to reconsider the process of preparing food over the years. We have limited venues that are well-connected logistically and can accommodate all our members and guests over five sessions. Meeting the regulations imposed by the hall management for preparing the food during these pujo days has become increasingly challenging. As a result, we’ve tried a new approach, combining in-house cooking with outsourcing some food items to ease the burden on the kitchen and mitigate the limitations of our cooking appliances.
This year, we are making an effort to reduce the use of disposables by using reusable plates. This is a step towards a sustainable future, and we want to give a big shout-out in favour of Recycling Perth. Unfortunately, we have not been able to make this event entirely plastic-free. However, we are committed to working towards that goal and making it happen in the near future.
Last but not least, I have always believed that Bengal’s social and political environment deeply influences our lives beyond Bengal. The R. G. Kar rape and murder case and its aftermath have left a deep scar in our hearts and souls. We have protested here in Perth against grave wrongdoings, government apathy, and the lack of justice in our homeland, West Bengal. The overwhelming scale of the spontaneous protest against the government’s inaction and the misdeeds of the goons has only strengthened my faith in people’s power and social activism. I demand justice for Tilottama. Despite being a non-believer, I recall that “Devi Durga” has 108 names according to Hindu mythology. She is the ultimate enchantress, the creator and preserver of life and the world; she is also portrayed as the slayer of demons – ‘Asurdalani’ Durga. May the Goddess eradicate the demons from society. Let good faith and goodwill be our unwavering guide.
Indranil Ghosh,
Vice President,
Bengali Association of Western Australia (BAWA)
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