SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 25: Coal belt women devotees especially of the Bengali community on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi on Tuesday celebrated the traditional ‘Sindoor Khela’ to bid adieu to Maa Durga for Sasural (immersion).
‘Sindoor Khela’ was celebrated on a large scale at Hirapur Harmandir Durga Mandap, Durga Mandir Hirapur, Nepal Kali Mandir JC Mallick Road, Saraidhela Durga Mandap, Bengali Welfare Society Park Market, Bengali Kalyan Samiti Jila Parishad campus, DS Colony, Jack and Jill School Professor Colony, Topchachi Durga Mandap where married women applied Sindoor on forehead and feet of Maa Durga.
After applying Sindoor on the forehead and feet of Maa Durga, the married women devotees clad in special designs and colourful Sari assembled at their respective Durga Puja Mandap for Sindoor Khela and offered Prasad (sweets items) to her and followed it by applying ‘Sindoor’ on each -other’s face. They also joined in the immersion procession of idols to bid adieu to her.
Besides women devotees, Bengali Bhadra Lok and children were also seen in large numbers in the procession. They were dancing to the tunes of traditional and modern music in the immersion procession which terminated at Pampu Talab of the railway.
“Sindoor Khela is the most important event for women in Durga Puja festival which is celebrated on the day of Vijay Dashmi. By applying Sindoor to Maa Durga and later on each other’s face, it is believed by celebrating this you (women) will have a long married life,” said Ashok Chattopadhyay who performed the immersion ritual at Pampu Talab.
One of the devotees said that Sindoor Khela is an important event for which they had been frantically waiting for 12 months to celebrate. “ We enjoyed a lot applying vermilion on the forehead and feet of Maa Durga and later playing among us. Since she is going to her Sasural from Baper bari ( Father’s house) it is obviously a matter of sadness and we sent off her with a heavy heart but, at the same time, requested her to come again next year,” said Purnima Hazra, who lives in Kolkata but celebrates this every year in Dhanbad.
Tomali Dey of Master Para and Arti Shaw of JC Mallick Road said, ‘Sindoor Khela’ is important for different reasons and this celebration gives extraordinary joy and satisfaction.
