Floors were decorated with alpona and the aroma of fresh coconut-based sweets filled the air as people in West Bengal welcomed Kojagori Lakshmi into their households as they celebrated the festival with gaiety and fervour on Sunday.
Sounds of conch shells were heard from houses as the rituals began in the afternoon. Grains were offered to the deity, which is considered the goddess of wealth. Before the start of the rituals, people decorated the floors and the stairs of the houses with alpona. Her footsteps and different designs were drawn on the floor via the traditional art form.
The goddess was offered bhog, fruits and various sweets, especially nadu and other such delicacies that are made from coconut. The harvest festival is celebrated on the full moon day of Ashvin month of the Bengali calendar. The day is also known as Kojagori Purnima, on which devotees stay awake till late at night by observing fasts.
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The festival was also held in many community Durga Puja pandels in a low key way as the small idol of the goddess was kept in the big marquee in a forlorn manner, far from the razzmatazz during the five days of festivity.
Some markets organised community Lakshmi Puja as the traders prayed for prosperity in their business. Traders of the Lake Market in Kolkata put up a big Lakshmi idol in a colourful pandel and installed traditional Chandernagore illumination on the sidewalk. However, around 300 teaching job candidate protesters who are on an indefinite sit-in on Mayo Road for 574 days, held a symbolic protest on the day.
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One of the protesters, who was dressed as the goddess, was worshipped at the podium. "We're forced to celebrate Lakshmi Puja in the open in this way. The government is yet to act on our just demands," one of the protesters said. They vowed to intensify their agitation if all the eligible candidates in recruitment tests were not appointed immediately.
Politicians of different parties observed the festival in their own ways. West Bengal minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee worshipped the goddess at his residence, while his TMC colleague Madan Mitra observed the festival at his office in the Kamarhati constituency. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari also celebrated the festival at his residence in Contai in Purba Medinipur district. Aparajita Adhya, Debolina Kumar and Arunima Ghosh were among the several Bengali film personalities who celebrated the festival at their homes.
(With PTI inputs)
