Debiprasad » Cuttack

Kataka ra Dashahara – 2010

Debiprasad — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 06:49:07 +0000

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Maatru rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Shakti rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Buddhi rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Laxmi rupena samsthita I

Namestasyai II Namestasyai II Namestasyai II Namo Namah II

Kataka ra Dashahara (in Oriya) – Dusshera in Cuttack – Year 2010

Last year I posted few photos of Durga Puja in Cuttack. This year here was a deep depression with rain. And I was having a bad cold. It was mostly unlikely for me to roam around and click few photos. But luckily, when I wake up last morning, I found it’s sunny. However I was not fully recovered from cold, I took the opportunity to roam around and take few photos. My sister joined me and I started the celebration on the scooter ride.

Better quality images can be found on my Fickr Account. I am thinking over a best way to share original quality images.

Kataka ra Dashahara

Mosquitoes, Integral Part of Indian Life

Debiprasad — Fri, 07 May 2010 20:15:21 +0000

In your opinion, which one is the biggest problem, in this world, or in your country? There are quite good options to answer. Global Warming, Terrorism, War, Lack of drinking water, Lack of education, Deficit of fuels for the future, Maoists, and Mosquitoes. You must be thinking, how Mosquitoes made an entry in the list of biggest threats to World? Don’t surprise, they are really a great threat. One night, while I was sleeping and it was around 4.30 AM, mosquitoes attacked me severely, and I could not sleep. And I started planning how to start war against Mosquitosm. Suddenly one mosquito entered into one of my nasal holes and I felt severe pain of sneezing, while I am sleeping. I also surprised how she (yes, that was a female one, because male mosquitoes don’t eat human blood) came to know what was in my mind and suddenly started attacking me!

I came to know about one wired fact from an online magazine that, “Mosquitoes have killed more humans than all the wars in history”. And my friend Debasish tells many times “u gotta be kidding me! its already 2010 & i still have to suffer mosquito bites”. I don’t know about other countries, whether there mosquitoes are an integral parts of human life or not. But in India, it’s an integral parts of Indian life. You may not believe, but people here are cultivating mosquitoes, by their bad habits though. And if you go to a general shop, you will see many products related to mosquitoes. Mosquito repellent coils, mats, liquid refills, sprays, body cremes etc. There are many brands and for every brand there is a good market too. Did you notice, all these are repelling mosquitoes. Why these companies can’t come with a product which kills mosquitoes. Well, you must be thinking how fool I am. How these companies will kill themselves. Killing mosquitoes means, making a hole in their pocket. So they create such products, which will repel mosquitoes outside. Those mosquitoes will go to their home, will have a wild party (like IPL Nights), have sex with their partners and increase their population. And the next day, they will come to join you. You will again need those mosquito repellent products. So an evergreen marketing plan.

So who will stop them to run this long term suffering plan? Why can’t Govt. of India can’t ban these companies to produce mosquito repellent products. Why can’t Govt. of India spend few money on research to end life cycle of mosquitoes? Oh!!! Now I realize (after one mosquito bite) that the local municipal corporations is not doing anything to save us from these zombies. How can I expect the top level Indian Govt. to take any serious action on this? If we spend a little fraction of money we had spent on buying mosquito repellent products on research to end life cycle of mosquitoes, then we can easily get that done.

I feel that every life in this world has a meaning. They do some good stuff to balance life in the world. But mosquitoes are only useless life in this world. They are not doing any useful stuff.

Few months before, I saw few peoples, who are not in power in local politics, were protesting against mosquito problem in my city Cuttack. But nothing happened significantly. Let me explain why nothing happened. Suppose, Mango eating party is in power and Butter licking party is in opposition. So, now Butter licking party made some hungama with the powerful presence of mosquitoes. And one day come, when Butter licking party will be in power and Mango eating party will be in opposition. If there will be no mosquito then what these people will do?

Several mosquitoes have already bitten me, while I am writing this. And I will not surprise, if I hear someone commits suicide due to terror of mosquitoes. But I have a hope that I will die after mosquitoes become history like dinosaurs.

Image credit: Fickr – tanakawho – Mosquito

Kataka ra Dashahara

Debiprasad — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:28:30 +0000

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Maatru rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Shakti rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Buddhi rupena samsthita I

Ya Devi Sarva Bhutesu Laxmi rupena samsthita I

Namestasyai II Namestasyai II Namestasyai II Namo Namah II

Kataka ra Dashahara (in Oriya) - Dussehra in Cuttack

View Durga Puja 2010 here

As I promised before, I will upload all photos taken during this festival – Dussehra 2009 Cuttack. Let start with some story for now (You can skip the next paragraph for now, wrote in very few time, no time to write it carefully).

Dusshera is the greatest festival of Cuttack. Durga Puja started in the city by a Bengali family hundred years before. Then people of the city liked to celebrate this festival every year. They added Odia (Oriya) culture and specific Kataki (people and stuff of Cuttack) traditions to this Durga Puja. This made Dussehra of Cuttack unique. The design of idols of goddesses and gods are quite different from Kolkata, so as the decorations behind the idols (called medha in Oriya). Normally those decorations are made using colorful papers and other fancy stuffs. When that dazzle look beautiful. But people of Cuttack (Katakis) want to make it more beautiful and to have a signature of handicrafts of Cuttack. As Cuttack is famous to create beautiful filigrees of silver, why should not they show this art during Puja? So the artists of Cuttack created medha of silver filigrees – this new silver filigree medha called as Chandi Medha (Chandi means silver) (As per my knowledge, Shekh Bazar Puja Committee created first chandi medha, then followed by Choudhury Bazar Puja Committee. There are around 1o (I don’t have the solid information of this, will update later) Puja Mandaps have Chandi Medha. Some of them also fitted colorful LED lights inside those silver filigrees. In many Puja Mandaps, they use ornaments of silver and gold filigrees. Choudhry Bazar Puja Committee turned a part of the Chandi Medha to gold.

Due to rain I could not able to cover all 156+ places. I never cover so much places, but normally cover over 50 places. But this year the cyclonic rain make dussehra less interesting. I even could not go to Devi Gada (immersion place in river Kathajodi, where we immerse idols of Goddess Durga and other idols in river) to watch Vasani (immersion) festival. I have also taken some videos, uploaded one in YouTube and will upload others later.

Ja Devi Sarva Bhuteshu

Debiprasad — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:10:52 +0000

The Durga Puja or Dussehra is going to start in few days. As it’s one of the most important festivals of India, people are busy in preparation. Dussehra is one of the top attractions of Cuttack (pronounced as ka-ta-ka), my beloved city where I live in (I will write more about it later). When people are busy in preparation for decorating the city and Puja Mandaps with attractive gates, lights, beautiful silver filigrees and statues of Maa Durga with other side god and goddesses. But the Puja already started at all Shakti Peethas of Orissa. Goddesses are worshiped in different veshas during these days. One of the Shakti Peetha of Cuttack – Jaya Durga is situated near my home (Chauliaganja, Cuttack). I was out of city for a couple of days, so I missed some veshas of Jaya Durga, but since last two days I am visiting the temple in the evening and taken photos of Goddess. I will post all those in this post, so please read this tomorrow to see something new.

Read here: Kataka ra Dashahara – Duessehra in Cuttack

Tuesday 15 September 2009 – Dashabhujja Besha of Jay Durga

Wednesday 16 September 2009 – Biswamohini Besha of Jay Durga

Thursday 17 September 2009 – Harachandi Besha of Jay Durga

Sunday 27 September 2009 – Mahisha Mardini Besha of Jay Durga