Happy Bijoya
The observance of Durga Puja by the Hindu community in Bangladesh as also elsewhere is in more ways than one a going back to certain ancient cultural traditions. It has especially been in South Asia that such traditions have played a significant role in the shaping of a society. Indeed, the very fact that a composite culture straddling faiths and regions defines life in the region is proof of the existence of a broad framework upon which people have through the ages related to one another.
Durga Puja, or worship of the Divine Mother, is an annual recapitulation of the many strands of thought which have gone into the formulation of the Hindu consciousness. At the same time, it is a reiteration of the idea that the Hindu faith, for those who subscribe to it, continues to be a living embodiment of what spirituality is all about for those who seek to effect a link between worldly affairs and heavenly realities. In very clear terms, Durga Puja is also symbolic of the triumph of good over evil, as demonstrated by the victory achieved by Divine Mother Durga over the arrogant Mahishasura. In a broad sense, therefore, the celebrations that take place every year in the puja season and especially those on Bijoya Doshomi are a reminder of life being a constant twilight struggle between good and evil. There are forever the forces that seek to undermine peace and stability through pitting themselves against the values that have sustained humankind through the centuries. Durga Puja serves as a reminder to people, in that philosophical sense of the meaning, that in the final reckoning it is good that defeats evil, that it is the forces of light that beat the elements of darkness back into their caves. On this day, it is a call to religiosity that goes out to men and women everywhere.
We wish the Hindu community of Bangladesh a happy Bijoya. Let the celebrations end on a note of deep reflection on life and everything it stands for.
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