Northeast revels in festive spirit

Like the rest of India, the northeast also soaked itself in the festive spirit, as people recently came together to celebrate Durga Puja.

Amidst tight security, the festival of Durga Puja was celebrated with grandeur in the northeastern states. The streets of Tripura bore a festive look with colorful lights, intricately designed marquees and people beating drums.

Dressed in bright attire, thousands of men, women and children participated in the festivities and offered their prayers to the Goddess. People from all communities were seen hopping from one colorful pandal to another.

This year, the pandals were built around several contemporary issues like the Uttarakhand floods.

"We have tried to capture the devastation caused by the Uttarakhand floods. Our club's budget is 12 crores. There is no distinction among people here. Everyone comes and participates in the Puja together. We try to accommodate as many people as possible," said Liton Saha, an organizer

Apart from traditional celebrations, people in Agartala also enjoyed the Garba and Dandiya nights organized by several committees like the ONGC community puja organizers as a part of the Navratri festivities.

The traditional Gujarati dances attracted a large crowd of youngsters, who joyfully swayed to the dandiya beats.

" We feel really good, because here, Gujaratis, Bengalis and people from other states come together and play the garba. This shows that we are all together, there is no difference and there is unity among the people," said Meena Mahavar, a participant.

In Assam also, the festival was celebrated with much fervor as people came out in hordes to enjoy the festivities.

In Guwahati, there were over 300 puja pandals, some of them centered on political and social themes. A pandal in Santipur depicted the devastating Uttarakhand floods, while another in Maligaon sought to promote communal unity.

"We have put the symbols of Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Sikh on top of the pandal. We must tell everybody to maintain peace and brotherhood. In India, unity is essential and that is our theme," added Nitul Das, another organizer.

The decline of insurgency has given hope for peaceful existence to people of the region. Cutting across boundaries, people from all the walks of life, come together during such festivals, giving out a strong message of unity and brotherhood.