Durga Puja In Bengal

Kolkata stampede: Two held for making 'pandal collapsing' announcements

The treasurer of the Chorbagan Durga Puja was arrested for allegedly misleading revellers by announcing that a section of the pandal was collapsing, which appeared to have triggered panic among them and led to the stampede that claimed the lives of 19 people last week, police said on Friday. Sanjib Raha, alias Sentu, was initially detained from a hideout in Nadia district on Thursday and later arrested, a senior officer said. "There were two persons who were making announcements at the Chorbagan Durga Puja. He was one of them. He had been absconding since the incident occurred in the evening of October 17. We initially detained him in Nadia and then arrested him after hours of questioning," he said. At least 19 people died, and 25 others were injured in the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata following a crowd surge amid rain. The two persons, who had been making announcements at the puja pandal on the Maha Saptami day, were identified via CCTV footage, the

Datanomics: Elderly most vulnerable to stampedes, account for 29% of deaths

The elderly accounted for 28% of stampede deaths in India over the past decade, making them the most vulnerable, while religious gatherings remained a major cause of such incidents.

Bengal Durga Puja business booms for big organisers, smaller committees lag

West Bengal's Durga Puja commercial landscape was marked by uneven gains this year, with large puja organisers, malls, organised retailers and e-commerce platforms reporting brisk business, while smaller puja committees, traditional markets and hawkers struggled to keep pace. While government data showed 13,000 more pujas being organised this year than last, the divide between big-budget celebrations and smaller community pujas remained stark. Large and traditionally popular puja organisers reported fully booked outdoor advertising slots, with rates rising by at least 20 per cent amid the growing use of LED displays. Smaller committees, however, faced weaker advertising demand, with some outdoor advertising slots remaining vacant. Kajol Sarkar, an office-bearer of the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella body representing over 550 community Durga Puja committees in Kolkata, Howrah and their suburbs, said advertisers were concentrating on specific routes rather than spreading their ...

Amit Shah to join Durga Puja festivities, inaugurate pandals in Kolkata

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take part in Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata on Friday. He arrived in the metropolis on Thursday night and was received at the airport by senior state BJP leader Rahul Sinha. Shah will inaugurate the pandal of the Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity in north Kolkata on Friday. Organised by BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh, the Durga Puja pandal has showcased 'Operation Sindoor'. Shah will then visit the Kalighat temple in south Kolkata and offer puja. Later, he will inaugurate the Durga Puja pandal of the BJP-backed Paschim Banga Sanskriti Mancha at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake. He will leave the city in the evening.

Happy Durga Puja 2024: Best Wishes and Greetings to Share on Durga Puja

One of the most esteemed Hindu festivals is Durga Puja, honouring Goddess Durga's triumph over the evil Mahishasura. Here are the best wishes for Navratri 2024 that you may give to your loved ones

Kolkata Metro Schedule for today: More services amid Durga Puja Carnival

Kolkata Metro will start additional services on the North-South corridor amid the Durga Puja Carnival on Red Road in Kolkata. The metro services will continue till midnight on Friday

Maha Navami 2023: Wishes, quotes and messages to share with family, friends

Maha Navami is an auspicious festival celebrated throughout the country. This festival is celebrated on October 23, 2023. Here are the wishes, quotes and messages to share with friends

Top 6 Durga Puja pandals that will mesmerise you in Kolkata, check list

The Durga Puja festival is celebrated with complete joy and enthusiasm. The festival will start on October 20 and will conclude on October 24. Here's the list of top Durga Puja pandals

Navratri 2023 Day 4: Everything you need to know about Maa Kushmanda

On the day 4 of Navratri on October 18, Maa Kushmanda is worshipped. Hindus worships Maa Durga and her nine forms during the celebration, mark fasts, eat satvik food, and seek blessings of the goddess

Curtains down on Durga puja festival in West Bengal with idol immersion

The five-day-long Durga Puja festival in West Bengal came to a close on Wednesday with the immersion of idols on 'Vijayadashami' at various river ghats across the state. Women participated in the traditional 'Sindur Khela' (smearing vermilion on each other's faces) and offered sweets and prayers to the goddess before bidding her farewell for the year. Organisers of most household and community pujas were seen leading colourful processions to the ghats amid the beating of drums and chanting of mantras. Shortly after the immersion, people exchanged sweets and greetings. At Babughat, which witnesses the highest number of idol immersions in the state, devotees were seen queuing up since 11 am, with chants of Asche bochor abar hobe' (till next year) adding to the fervour. According to sources in Kolkata Police, adequate security arrangements have been made on the thoroughfares and at the river ghats for peaceful observance of the idol-immersion ceremony. The immersion of big-ticket Du

Muted Maha Ashtami rituals, celebrations in Bengal amid Covid restrictions

The usual fun, frolic and religious fervour associated with Maha Ashtami was barely visible on Saturday, with people across West Bengal worshipping the goddess virtually

Court partially relaxes order on WB's Durga Puja pandals: Things to know

The court has allowed entry of up to 45 people at a time in big pandals

What Durga pujo really means

As I was thinking about how interesting it was that Muslim families were also participating and making the most of the Durga pujo festivities, I realised it was not just restricted to pandal hopping

WB: Puja pandal decorated with 4,000 letterboxes, computer mouse in Kolkata

The South Kolkata Chetla Agrani Club's had made the pandal with a theme of "Kolkata choliyechey Naritey Noritey" which means Kolkata on the go

SC issues notice to WB govt over grant of funds for Durga Puja committees

The top court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Sourav Dutta challenging the Mamata Banerjee govt's decision to dole out Rs 280 mn to 28,000 puja committees in the state for durga puja

Durga Puja 2017: Will foil plans to divide people of Bengal, says Mamata

The West Bengal CM cautioned people not to get 'misled' by conspiracies hatched by troublemakers

Bengal's disaster recipe: Communal contest over Durga puja and Muharram processions

Has communal hatred seeped into the Bengali-speaking middle-class psyche?