The fist two pictures are of the Bagh Bazaar Puja pandal, one of the larger pandals in North Kolkata. On the final day of the Puja the idols are taken from there places in the pandals and thrown into a body of water. Most idols are dropped into the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges. In my community, the closest body of water was the local pond so that's where Durga and her consort were left with the fishes.
Kumatuli Park, also in Northern Kolkata, is the area that all the idols for the Puja are crafted. Needless to say, Kumatuli went all out with their pandal. It was packed and people pushed and elbowed to get inside. The exit of the pandal led to a carnival with food, games, and rides. Rajdeep and I were feeling brave so we took a ride on the fastest spinning Ferris Wheel I have ever been on! I was expecting a nice slow ride but the operator put it into high gear and, well, it was scary!
These last two pics are from the Kumatuli Park Puja. A view from the scary Ferris Wheel shows the park's gigantic pandal in the distance. Also, one of myself, looking like I'm about to be thrown from the ride!
2 comments:
Lyndsey, I can see the look of fear in your eyes which is understandable! I'm sure they don't have the safety checks on rides like they do here in the states. Best to stay off them!!
Mom
Lyndsey,
Well now, those rides might be slightly frightening, even for me an old pro, after riding many at Grange Fair in years past. I hope you're able to find a job and keep busy until coming back home. The weather here has been quite nice, and today it's to go up to the mid-60's, which is good for late November. Not certain you were informed about John having a bad injury on his right ankle 5-weeks ago. He had surgery at Geisinger and a metal plate with 7 screws placed, which are now a permanent part of his ankle. He's still working on the set for "Unstoppable" the high action movie starring Denzel Washington and Chris PIne, who played Dr. Kirk in the last Star Trek movie. They should wrap up after the end of next week. We'll all be together over Thanksgiving. Deanne and boys will be with us also. Take care. Love, Aunt Janet
Post a Comment