Durga Puja comes as a boon for
female priests
as most committees, households and housing societies aim to celebrate
nari shakti
. But
dhakis
are no longer the soul of the festivites. Here’s why…
Symbolising the arrival of Durga, the sound of dhak plays an important role during Pujo. As the festive mood in the city is sombre, we speak to dhakis and priests to find out how they are planning to navigate the lull this festive season.
More work outside Bengal for dhakis?
Owing to the uncertainty in Kolkata this time, many dhakis are taking up contractual work in other cities like Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi.
“I’ve taken up only three contracts in Kolkata, the rest of them are in other cities,” says Bapi Kumar Das, a dhaki and dhaki aggregator in the city.
People are enquiring about dhakis but there are no confirmations yet. A lot depends on how things unfold here in the coming weeks – Rehan Waris, owner of an event management company
Higher demand for dhakis at barir pujo and housing societies
While Pujo committees are still in two minds about grand festivities, housing societies and Bonedi baris are sticking to the usual rituals. “Dhakis are usually booked atleast a month in advance, but this time the demand has gone down, especially at Pujo committes. They are one of our major revenue sources every year,” says Gokul Chandra Das of Maslandapur Motilal Dhaki
organisation.
Female priests to worship Durga
Expressing how most committees want female priests to conduct Pujo this year, priestess Nandini Bhowmick reveals, “I’m getting a lot of calls from Pujo committees as most are driven by a core thought–celebration of woman power.” Adding how gender stereotypes have been broken in the past few years, she says, “Previously people had a notion that only men can conduct pujas” Priestess Anita Mukhopadhyay adds, “At household Pujos too, people are looking for female priests as they want to celebrate women, more so because Maa Durga herself embodies nari shakti.”
Of late, female priests are in demand at Pujos because people can relate to the way we conduct Pujos. The way we chant mantras is liked by many – Priyanka Chatterjee, priestess
Dhakis come from distant towns and they usually reach Sealdah station before even signing a contract. They are looking at other cities this time because of the situation – Bapi Kumar Das
