‘May our lives be filled with light and purpose’: PM Modi, Mamata greet people on Mahalaya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended greetings on Mahalaya, which marks the start of Durga Puja festivities. Modi wished people strength, joy and health, while Mamata invoked Goddess Durga and shared a new Puja song.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted people on the occasion of Mahalaya, which is observed before the start of Durga Puja.

He said on X, “Wishing you all Shubho Mahalaya! As the sacred days of Durga Puja draw near, may our lives be filled with light and purpose. May the divine blessings of Maa Durga bring unwavering strength, lasting joy and wonderful health.”

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Mahalaya is observed at the conclusion of ‘Shradh’ or ‘Pitru Paksha’, a 16-day period during which Hindus honour their ancestors, and signifies the commencement of Durga Puja festivities.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to social media to wish the people. She wrote, “Awake Durga, awake, bearer of ten weapons.”

“On the occasion of Tan, Agomoni, and Abahan, I offer my heartfelt Mahalaya greetings to all. On this occasion, I am sharing with all of you a new Puja song written and composed by me,” she said in her post.

Mahalaya ushers in Devi Paksha, a 10-day celebration of the Goddess Durga that culminates in Durga Puja. It signals the arrival of Goddess Durga to Earth to defeat the demon king Mahishasura. It is an auspicious day that symbolises the triumph of good over evil.

In West Bengal, the day is famously marked by the pre-dawn broadcast of ‘Mahishasura Mardini’, a programme of hymns and chants that invokes the Goddess, and listening to it is a cherished tradition for all.

Thousands of people in West Bengal perform ‘tarpan,’ signifying the start of the festive season with Durga Puja. The day commenced with people paying their respects to their ancestors on the banks of the Hooghly River and other water bodies throughout the state.

Following Mahalaya, preparations for Durga Puja begin in earnest, especially in West Bengal, with the countdown to the festival officially starting. On Mahalaya, sculptors typically paint the eyes of Devi Durga in a ritual known as ‘Chokhhu Daan’.