A befitting farewell to the Goddess

With Sindoor smeared all over faces of Bengali married women, and the sound of dhak surrounding the 100 years old Navlakha Bengali club, women celebrated Sindoor Khela on the last day of Durga Pooja. Reena Banerji, a housewife shares, “We think of Goddess Durga like our own daughter, these Navratri days. On the last day, Vijaydashmi we do a lot of festivities and bid her goodbye when we put sindoor and send her off.As a part of the celebration, married women put sindoor on each other’s foreheads. Sindoor Khela is awaited all year long.” Khushboo Singh, a newly married expresses her experience, “It’s my third time that I am attending this festival. What I have experienced is that it is a celebration of womanhood! Also the love we share among us during the festivities is incomparable." For some it’s joy, while for some it is tradition. Sonali Roy, wife of an executive member of Bengali club says, “I am from Bengal and have been staying in Indore from more than 16 years now. Every year, we wait for Durga Pooja as it is very important to us. Sindoor Khela makes us feel very close to each other. Our whole family joins in for the celebration.”

There are families who have attended these festivities from generations, while there are women who participate solo and find amazing company out there. Aparna Kaviraj, a homemaker says, "Being away from family, I still got to enjoy the joy of Sindoor Khela. The ladies of Bengali club welcome everyone as their own. I loved being a part of it."

Apart from the residents, there are some people who come back to the city for celebrating the festival with their loved ones. Shrestha Mukherjee, an MBA student shares, "I live in Ahmedabad but have come back to Indore because I wanted to be a part of the celebration with my family and friends. I could not resist it."
Sindoor Khela is a tradition that brings a lot of Bengali women together and makes them feel really blessed. It is also a feast to the eyes of people who witness it.