Being away from your country on special occasions leaves one with a heavy heart. But if you get the opportunity to visit India during Durga Puja then the only place you need to be is Kolkata to witness the craziness of the festival. You can check the dates in advance, and plan your trip. If you are visiting the city during Durga Puja, witnessing the immersion of idols at different river ghats is going to be an amazing experience. It is something that one will cherish for a long time. Generally, the immersion takes place on the final day of the puja which is on Dashami. All the women deck up in new sarees, especially white and red on this day to perform a ritual of debi-boron. It gives a divine feeling to witness the elaborate procession of Ma Durga and be a part of it.
Durga Puja festivities end with the immersion of Durga idols. People worldwide gather at the river ghats to witness the immersion. The last day of Pujo begins with a lot of sadness as the wait for another year begins and the chants of ‘Asche bochor abar hobe’ add to the festivity. The river ghats are filled with people and they come together from all parts of the city or state to observe the whole ceremony. There are adequate arrangements made to control the huge crowd and proper security is maintained.
With heavy hearts, people bid farewell to Ma Durga and they gather together to celebrate her on the last day. On the final day, after the puja is completed, different rituals are performed. The women smear vermillion on each other and enjoy themselves while playing with vermilion or sindur known as sindur-khela. Ma Durga is offered sweets and debi-boron is performed by the women. Then begins the whole procession where people dance and enjoy themselves and take part in the immersion ceremony. Thousands of people look forward to the celebration and there are also different arrangements made by the government so that people can have an amazing experience. Artificial ponds have also been set for the immersion of Durga idols to reduce pollution. This step has been taken by the government and it is followed by many puja pandals and clubs. The police also step in to ensure that the whole process is done flawlessly and a peaceful immersion takes place.
