Bengalis in the city celebrated the beginning of 'Devipaksha' and the end of the 'Pitri-paksha’ on the occasion of Mahalaya Amavasya, here in the city on Tuesday.
The Mahalaya Amavasya is considered to be very auspicious for the Bengalis, as it heralds the beginning of the annual Durga puja celebrations.
For many from the community, the Mahalaya Amavasya celebrations began early in the morning with the ‘Tarpan’ (a ritual of offering water to the ancestors) at RK Beach.
According to Chintamoni Roy, the purohit of Railway Kalibari, this year ‘Tarpan’ can be observed on two days, both Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Amavasya timings began from 11.24 a.m. on Tuesday and will continue till Wednesday morning.
In the evening, East Coast Railway Kalibari, organised a cultural programme on the theme ‘Mahisasuramardini’, a popular Bengali early radio programme that was popularised by the legendary radio broadcaster and playwright Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
The programme was directed by S.K. Banik, Atanu Bhadhuri and Mitul Bhattacharjee and the dance drama was directed by U Panchali Banerjee.
