5-Day Bengali Durga Puja Begins; RG Kar Incident Casts A Shadow On Bengali Community

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The RG Kar incident has cast its shadow on Durga Puja celebrated by city’s Bengali community this year. As a symbol of anger and shock over the heinous rape-murder of a woman medic in Kolkata, one Kali Badi has decided to keep their decorations simple while others will focus on women empowerment and safety of women in different ways. Durga Puja celebrations of Bengali community will begin from Wednesday.

The decorations at Kali Badi in TT Nagar will be themed on, Grameen Saje Maa - simplicity that marks rural life. Jaya Ganguly, a member of all-women team that has decorated Pandal told Free Press that they are yet to recover from the shock of RG Kar horror.

“We all are deeply hurt. Girls are treated like goddess on earth. And if they are not respected, what can be more sad and shocking,” she said. In view of the incident, they have decorated the pandal with simple handmade artworks and red and white gamchas (cotton scarves). “We hope that Mother Goddess will come and destroy all evil,” she said.

Meeta Wadhva from Kali Badi, Danish Kunj, Bawadiya Kalan, said all the visitors to pandal would be able to register protest against RG Kar incident by filling in a digital form titled, Abhaya - Voice Against Rape. She said all stalls at Kali Badi would be dedicated to women to underline their commitment to women empowerment. Supriya Das of City Durga Utsav Bengali Association in Sindhi Colony said that they would be organising a painting competition on ‘Safety of Women and Girls” aimed at gender sensitisation.