Bengalis soak in the music of Mahalaya

Bengali’s woke up to the chants of Durga Stotra (hymns) at the crack of dawn on Monday. For many Bengalis, it’s an annual tradition to wake up at dawn, especially a chilly autumn morning, switch on the Akashbani station of their radio and listen to the recital of Mahisasur Mardini and Chandipath . All this to usher in Mahalaya .

Mahalaya traditionally begins the countdown for Durga Puja – Bengal’s biggest cultural extravaganza. But in folklore it is considered as the day when goddess Durga, accompanied by her retinue, is believed to have left her abode in the Himalayas to head for her mother’s home in Bengal.

While the essence of Mahalaya – switching on the radio to listen to

Mahisasur Mardini – is fast changing with VCDs replacing the radio, there are some who differ. “As children, we used to wake up at the crack of dawn and listen to the recitals. I still do the same now,” Manjushree Dutta, a homemaker said.

The day is also marked by the ritual of tarpan – oblations to departed ancestors. Accordingly, ghats along the Hooghly have been teeming with people since early morning.

>ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in