New Delhi: The vermilion on their faces was a sign of celebration, but the tears in their eyes told another story. At a Durga Puja pandal in CR Park, women dressed in red-and-white saris gathered for sindoor khela, applying vermilion to Maa Durga before turning to their daughters, friends and fellow devotees to share the ritual. The dhak beats grew louder, people danced and phones captured the moments, but beneath the festivities was the knowledge that, by evening, the goddess would be on her way to the immersion ground.
“The next puja may be months away, but preparations — in thoughts, conversations, and community life — have already begun,” said Basu. For the Bengali community, Dashami is not simply the last day of a festival; it is an emotional farewell to a daughter who has come home for a few days before returning to her celestial abode. The rituals of the morning, the final prayers and the procession accompanying the idol to the immersion site are all part of saying goodbye — until next year. At the B Block Durga Puja celebrations in CR Park, where the community is marking its 51st year of organising the puja, the feeling was personal for Ratna Basu. “The whole year goes into waiting for Maa to come. The celebration is as much about the community as it is about the goddess. Families return year after year, children grow up participating in the rituals, and traditions are passed down through generations. For many, the annual gathering is a reminder of home, even for those who have spent much of their lives in Delhi. Yet, for devotees, the goodbye is never permanent. The day after immersion, the wait begins again.
Today, playing sindoor khela with my daughter, I cannot describe what I feel,” she said, her eyes welling up.