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Getting ready to usher in the goddess

Sylhet abuzz in preparation for Durga Puja

Dwoha Chowdhury, Sylhet
With expansive fields of "kash phool" dancing in the breeze and beautiful azure sky speckled with cottony clouds turning into a kaleidoscope of pink, orange and gold during sunset - autumn is here and so is the time to welcome Goddess Durga!
Like elsewhere in the country, Sylhet city is buzzing with activity in preparation for the Sharadiya (autumnal) Durga Utsab. This year's puja will be held on October 4-8.
In autumn, Durga, the goddess of power, visits her father's home on earth.
The festival ends with the celebration of Bijaya Dashami when the goddess leaves earth for heaven.
With the biggest religious festival of Bengali Hindu community just a few days away, artisans, organisers and instrumentalists are passing busy days to welcome the goddess.
In Sylhet division, around 2,600 mandaps (worship pavilions) have been set up, including 66 in the city.
Rajat Kanti Gupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad in Sylhet city, said, "The Hindu community in Sylhet has taken adequate preparations for the celebration of Durga Puja. We have also taken security measures in every mandap."
Meanwhile, artisans are working extra hours to meet the demand. Visiting several studios at Lamabazar, Mirjajangal and Dariapara areas in the city this week, this correspondent saw that they were putting finishing touches to idols.
Artisans said though idol-making process is lengthy, they have finished almost all works and are now decorating the idols with colours, clothing and ornaments.
There was a sense of joy and pride among them, since the entire process of creating an idol - from clay to ornamentation - not just requires devotion and diligence, it has also been passed down from generation to generation.
Ballabh Narayan Mrit Shilpalaya in Dariapara has been making Durga idols for over four generations. Now, brothers Nandalal Paul and Dulal Paul run the business.
Though extremely busy, they made some time for this correspondent, and said usually it costs around Tk 30,000 to one lakh to create a full set of idols. A complete set has Durga, Lakshmi,
Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesh and Ashur along with their carriers - lion, owl, swan, rat, peacock and ox.
Besides artisans, percussion instrument makers are also busy at work in Chowhatta and Kadamtali areas. Makers of these instruments -dhol, dhak (big drum), mridanga (a two-faced drum played with hands), khol, dholok, dugi, khamok, naal, tabla and khonjori - an integral part of the puja, are busy trying to meet their orders.
Kirtan (devotional songs) performers or kirtaniyas, who perform at different temples during the puja, are thronging the workshops to repair their old and damaged instruments.
With makers working, kirtaniyas testing their instruments and singing a song or two - the ambience is not only vibrant, but also lifting mood of passers-by.
To make sure that the festival is held peacefully with due religious fervour, law enforcers have
also beefed-up security.
Contacted, Aminul Islam, additional superintendent of police in Sylhet, said, "We have already taken preparation to ensure security at all mandaps. Police and ansar members will be posted there from two days before the festival."
"We have also instructed each puja committee to take necessary steps. No vehicles will be allowed near the mandaps. Rab, Armed Police Battalion, detectives and special branch will also be deployed to ensure security," he added.
On September 24, a meeting was held at the office of the deputy commissioner in this regard, where all authorities concerned were present.
In the meeting, Mir Mahbubur Rahman, acting DC of Sylhet, said, "Sylhet is a land of communal harmony and Durga Puja is being celebrated here peacefully for centuries. We have taken all necessary preparations... We believe that no untoward incident will take place during the festival."