The Bengali Committee in South Mumbai have come together to bring the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti Puja 2025 to life. Five days have been dedicated in prayer and devotion to Durga Maa at the annual celebrations and as devotees revel in the festivities, one will find tradition, legacy and community spirit in plenty at this pandal.
At the Maha Navami celebrations at Durga Bari, devotees performed the Dhunuchi Dance with religious fervor. Women dressed in traditional Bengali sarees danced without inhibitions as they surrendered to the goddess. It was a sight to behold to watch a few young men also not only participating in the dance but also nailing it. It is only here that the naach can be done with flowers instead of fire on Navami night.
Few know that the Dhunuchi Dance carries great religious and spiritual symbolism. The dance is dedicated to Goddess Durga. Usually performed on the evening of Maha Navami, it is seen as a huge celebration, as devotees get ready to bid goodbye to Durga Maa. Dhunuchi is an incense burner made from earthenware and as the smell of dhuno or the smoke spreads in the air, it is seen as a sign of prosperity.
The celebrations ended with Sindoor Khela on Maha Dashami where devotees drenched themselves in the colour red. As Durga Maa heads back to the Himalayas, this play with vermillion is a tradition followed by married women and members of the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti danced with joy as they bid farewell to Maa by applying sindoor first to her idol and then to everyone around them.
It was a celebration of womanhood, sisterhood, community bonds before the final immersion of the idol at Girgaum Chowpatty later that day. The day ‘blended joyous celebration with a heartfelt farewell’.
