It is a festival of unmixed joy and merry-making as people get together to celebrate the Puja in an atmosphere of friendship and bonhomie. The drudgery of life is forgotten as the hilarious mood continues until the devotees bid her farewell on the tenth day. The immersion of the Goddess today will mark the end of the celebrations.

Puja celebrations are part of our age old religio-cultural ethos which has place for all creeds. People in this country have always been known for their tolerance and respect for all faiths.

The consensus on religious harmony and recognition of the rights of the minorities are of course a prerequisite for peaceful co-existence of the people, regardless of their faith. Regrettably, we have watched with a sense of worry that attempts have been made by certain disruptive elements to hurt the feelings of the minority Hindus through vandalism of the most deplorable kind. Such elements do not represent the majority people who want the minorities to have full freedom in every respect. Still their presence in society is something that we cannot acquiesce in. These elements must be reined in as a matter of principle.

The government has taken many steps to ensure that the Puja festivities are not obstructed in any way and the devotees feel secure enough during the celebrations. The government must have done what it deemed necessary, but we feel that communal harmony should be a spontaneous process stemming from the hearts of the people.

Happy Bijoya.