By Meghna Roy
Adamas University
Department – BA Hons Sociology
While many Bengalis celebrate this day by listening to the enchanting voice of late Birendra Krishna Bhadra, the folklore associated with the day is that Goddess Durga officially begins her journey from mount Kailash – where she resides with her husband Lord Shiva – to her maternal home on earth. Goddess Durga has begun her decent after having vanquished the evil demon Mahishasura. And to reminds us of this victory we have the auspicious day of Mahalaya.
Not only does this annual event hold a religious and spiritual significance, it also reminds us of the power of truth of courage and of the universal fact that end, goodwill always triumphs over evil.
In the wee hours of Wednesday before sunrise, Goddess Durga quietly began her decent from heaven to the mortal sphere thus marking the advent of Debipaksha – the hour of the goddess. Every year, the auspicious day of Mahalaya symbolizes the dawn of feminine power and wisdom.
In Bengali households, a woman who displays exemplary strength and is unafraid of men is usually equated and treated as a manifestation of Goddess Durga while Dan Brown’s the “DA VINCI CODE” popularize ethe idea of “SACRED FEMININE” only recently, Bengal has lived with the tradition of women as the embodiment of power for centuries.
Mahalaya proclaims the end of Pitripaksha when Maa Durga rolls up her sleeves and readies herself for the final destruction of evil on earth. For example, the #ME TOO MOVEMENT finally made a mark in India, the phenomena were resounding more than it ever did with women’s heroism and battle for survival. The movement has been excruciating albeit not surprising, with scores of women exposing men (mostly colleagues and former bosses/superiors) of sexual harassment at workplace and elsewhere. Multiple accounts of sexual harassment have surfaced where women have accused their male friends, colleagues or counter parts of inappropriate sexual advances, unsolicited touches, mental harassment and gas lightning, subjecting them to a viscous circle of trauma and victim blaming.
The whole movement began to promote empowerment through empathy. An attempt to solidify the sorority and use it as a weapon – a weapon to thwart the perpetual subjugation at the hands of the male ego.
Equipped with the weapon of knowledge, let women like Goddess Durga, take the reins to heckle the outstanding menace of misogyny right on its face and to reclaim the rights and those voices that society has deprived them of.