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Showing posts from January 26, 2022

Beyond Ram and Ravana: The Living Gods of Kulasai Dussera

In the coastal village of Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu , faith takes on an earthly form during Kulasai Dussera . Here, gods and goddesses descend to dwell among men—not through idols, but through devotees who embody the divine in a spectacle of trance, transformation, and devotion unlike any other festival in India. As India celebrates Dussehra with fireworks and effigies of Ravana, over eight lakh devotees converge at the 300-year-old Arulmigu Mutharamman Temple , where the air hums with chants, drums, and the sound of transformation itself. A Festival of Transformation   The Kulasai Dussera, observed during  Navaratri , spans ten days and culminates in the dramatic  Soorasamharam , the slaying of the demon Mahishasura by Goddess Lalithambigai—an incarnation of  Mutharamman , the fierce guardian deity of the town. Unlike Dussehra elsewhere, where the focus is on the Ramayana, the myth here centers on  female divinity and creation’s power to restore mo...

Street of Kolkata (color)

  Nistar (Metiabruz) Bosta potti (The Sack workers corner) One peaceful evening The Final Rice Kolkata in rain After match Distance Relation Recycling A new hope Waiting for the day   Gameplan The Life limit Waiting for Another A live theatre   The Kolkata Byam Samity Refreshment Loneliness 1 Loneliness 2 The Coconut seller Newspaper Reader The Chattu Stall The Meat Shop Fish Market in Kolkata