Assam’s first all-women Durga Puja group celebrates 25 years with ‘Navadurga’ theme

A group of homemakers in 1999 decided to organise an all-women Durga Puja because they believed that women are capable to do so

Assam’s first all-women Durga Puja, started by a group of homemakers from Silchar in 1999, has turned 25 this year.

Members of all-women Durga Puja committee during the Saptami Puja on Saturday.

Organisers said that there were many challenges in this journey but they never stopped the puja. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, there were strict regulations, and we did the puja in a limited way, but didn’t discontinue,” said Jaya Bhattacharjee, a member of the committee.

A group of homemakers in 1999 decided to organise an all-women Durga Puja because they believed that women are capable to do so.

“Though Goddess Durga is a woman, most of the the pujas are conducted by men. We wanted to change this trend to show that women can also do it,” a founder member said.

They began the preparations six months in advance for the silver jubilee celebration this year. “Actually, we started preparation after last year’s puja and began collecting donations almost six months back,” they said.

About the theme, they said that they are celebrating the essence of women with nine versions of Goddess Durga.

“These nine ‘rupas’ (versions) of Maa Durga are a representation of women and their different moods. We believe that we are part of Maa Durga and that is our celebration this year,” they said.

In the the entire process, they take support from men only to carry the Durga idol. Juthika Paul, one of the organisers, said that they wanted a women priest to perform the puja, but couldn’t find one.

In some pandals, women priests have started performing the rituals of Durga puja, however it is not very common.

Apart from Silchar, there are a few more all-women Durga Puja committees in Assam, one of them being in Guwahati’s Pandu.