KOLKATA: The organisers of a community Durga Puja in New Town have decided to walk off the beaten track and worship a Muslim girl as Goddess Durga during Kumari Puja on Navami to spread communal harmony.
Eight-year-old Nafisa, who lives in the Pathuriaghata area of the township, has been chosen by the all-women committee of Mrittika Club for their first-ever puja.
“Our motto is to promote unity, blur all divisions in society and send out a strong message of brotherhood. We ourselves were victims of divisional politics in the previous Durga Puja committee. The women felt ignored. So, we broke off and are organising our own puja this time,” said club secretary Prathama Mukherjee.
Traditionally, only Brahmin girls are chosen as ‘kumaris’. But back in 1898, Swami Vivekananda, during his travels across the country, had requested a Muslim boatman to let him worship his four-year-old daughter as Goddess Durga. Vivekananda offered Kumari Puja at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Srinagar. He bowed down to touch the feet of the little girl as part of the ritual and, in 1901, introduced Kumari Puja at Belur Math, where it’s still done.
“Many of us are inspired by the teachings of Belur Math, and so this also played on our minds. When Swamiji could have worshipped a Muslim girl more than a century ago, why can’t we do it now,” said Mukherjee.
Earlier this year, Baranagar Friends Association in north Kolkata worshipped a six-year-old Muslim girl as ‘kumari’ on the occasion of Khuti Puja that coincided with Eid-Al-Adha . Khuti Puja is performed before construction work starts on a pandal. The Bengali word, ‘khuti’, literally translates to a “pole”.
Nafisa’s mother, Saba, who works as a domestic help, was extremely excited to be part of the ritual, the organisers said. “She was surprised and didn’t know how to react initially. But when we explained the customs, she agreed happily,” said Shatabdi Ganguly, Nafisa’s teacher.
Pritha Gehlot, a schoolteacher and a member of the all-women Mrittika Club’s puja organising committee, said that she was thrilled with the idea of worshipping a Muslim girl as Goddess Durga and went about persuading other members of the committee and the block.
“We want to send across the message that a small child is like a flower. She needn’t be bound by borders of a particular religion. She has a pious heart that is worth worshipping,” said Gehlot.
Saswati Auddy, a resident of New Town’s Action Area II B, said she had seen Muslim families actively participating in Durga Puja but this was the first time she would be part of one where a Muslim girl would be worshipped as a goddess.
“In this hour of social crisis and communal tension, this is the best initiative that can be undertaken to spread the message of harmony. God lives in every human being, whatever the religion, and we are here to portray this,” she said.
Eight-year-old Nafisa, who lives in the Pathuriaghata area of the township, has been chosen by the all-women committee of Mrittika Club for their first-ever puja.
“Our motto is to promote unity, blur all divisions in society and send out a strong message of brotherhood. We ourselves were victims of divisional politics in the previous Durga Puja committee. The women felt ignored. So, we broke off and are organising our own puja this time,” said club secretary Prathama Mukherjee.
Traditionally, only Brahmin girls are chosen as ‘kumaris’. But back in 1898, Swami Vivekananda, during his travels across the country, had requested a Muslim boatman to let him worship his four-year-old daughter as Goddess Durga. Vivekananda offered Kumari Puja at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Srinagar. He bowed down to touch the feet of the little girl as part of the ritual and, in 1901, introduced Kumari Puja at Belur Math, where it’s still done.
“Many of us are inspired by the teachings of Belur Math, and so this also played on our minds. When Swamiji could have worshipped a Muslim girl more than a century ago, why can’t we do it now,” said Mukherjee.
Earlier this year, Baranagar Friends Association in north Kolkata worshipped a six-year-old Muslim girl as ‘kumari’ on the occasion of Khuti Puja that coincided with Eid-Al-Adha . Khuti Puja is performed before construction work starts on a pandal. The Bengali word, ‘khuti’, literally translates to a “pole”.
Nafisa’s mother, Saba, who works as a domestic help, was extremely excited to be part of the ritual, the organisers said. “She was surprised and didn’t know how to react initially. But when we explained the customs, she agreed happily,” said Shatabdi Ganguly, Nafisa’s teacher.
Pritha Gehlot, a schoolteacher and a member of the all-women Mrittika Club’s puja organising committee, said that she was thrilled with the idea of worshipping a Muslim girl as Goddess Durga and went about persuading other members of the committee and the block.
“We want to send across the message that a small child is like a flower. She needn’t be bound by borders of a particular religion. She has a pious heart that is worth worshipping,” said Gehlot.
Saswati Auddy, a resident of New Town’s Action Area II B, said she had seen Muslim families actively participating in Durga Puja but this was the first time she would be part of one where a Muslim girl would be worshipped as a goddess.
“In this hour of social crisis and communal tension, this is the best initiative that can be undertaken to spread the message of harmony. God lives in every human being, whatever the religion, and we are here to portray this,” she said.