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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...

Series I: Fishing

  Figure 1: Preparation of net (Copyright © 2022 Swattik Jana) The Ganga, India's most significant river, has an estuary at Diamond Harbour. Therefore, fishing is a primary source of income for the majority of the local population. There are a lot of folks that go fishing every day during high tide and own modest fishing boats. Two guys are seen in this photo setting up a fishing net for the morning high tide.  Figure 2: Fishing net stand in Canning (Copyright © 2022 Swattik Jana) Wet nets are being stoted in one of the the canal of river Matla rather than keeping near home after completion of fishing. This techniques is efficient for loading and uploading and reduce the space for net storage.  Figure 3: Finding better place   (Copyright © 2022 Swattik Jana) A man finding better place for theinstallation of fishing net at waterbody in canning.  Figure 4: Instllation of net (Copyright © 2022 Swattik Jana) A man carring two net for installation at suitable place. ...

Chenna (ছানা) transpotation in Kolkata sweet shops by local train

Chenna has been put on train floor to remove excess water (©swattik jana) Relaxing time (©swattik jana) Shy moments and fun times (©swattik jana) Chenna checking (©swattik jana) No space to stand (©swattik jana) Open on air for bateria grow (©swattik jana) Meeting on the way (©swattik jana) White fresh chenna (©swattik jana) Seris of Chenna (©swattik jana) A nap within work and long way to go (©swattik jana) Chenna observation (©swattik jana) Time to leave (©swattik jana)  

LIFE IN VENDOR COACH

  (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) Vendor Coach of local train in West Bengal, is one of the most significant role player for farmers and local business persons. There are a significant amount of times (around 6-7 hours a day) are being spent by them on this coach.    (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) Most of them have specific timings and they prefer to travel by same vendor coach on a particular local train only.   (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) Being a significant part of their life spent on a particular coach on daily basis, most of them knows each other, eat with each other, plays card, sings songs with each other.  (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) Cheese curds are one of the most important product that are being transported in Vendor Coach for the sweet shops of Kolkata city and its nearby shops.   (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) (Life in Vendor coach / Swattik Jana) (Life in V...

The Festival of Gajon