Jamshedpur: The festive season is far from over. Even if Durga Puja has come and gone, there is no end to celebrations.
Bengali community took time out of their busy schedules to come together for Lakshmi Puja Lakshmi Puja was celebrated with religious fervour and traditional gaiety in the city along with the rest of the country today.The occasion is marked by ceremonial homage paid to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.
The city had its share of the celebrations, with scores of devotees visiting the well-decorated mandaps since morning. Among the biggest pujas was the one at Mandir which drew huge crowds throughout the day. Cultural programmes were also organised at some locations.
“For me, this was like an event and I had decided beforehand what I would be wearing. I chose the traditional red and white sari and wore it in an atpoure style. I also flaunted matching ornaments with it. In short, I had the best time of my life,” Sushmita Bose a resident of Sonari.
Pallavi Chatterjee is a keeper of a tradition that was started by her grandmother and then passed on to her mother and finally, her. “We don’t have any idol worship but offer our anjalis to a silver idol of the Goddess,” said the actor and added, “I don’t have to send invites to anyone now.
Everybody knows about this Puja and they join in the celebrations.” As far as the Puja-related work is concerned, Pallavi is very hands-on. “From alpana to ranna, I love shouldering responsibility. I also make the narus and the moyas,” continued the actor and signed off saying, “I look forward to this occasion and love the treasured moments of adda with friends, family and colleagues.”
Usually, Laxmi Puja is performed during Diwali festival in maximum Hindu families Bengali community perform on this particular day. This puja unlike Durga Puja is performed at home, with neighbouring families and friends coming together and praying Goddess Laxmi to bless one and all.
The atmosphere is very festive during Laxmi Puja. Girls and women of the house put rangolis (floor patterns) of rice flour and water, they call it �alpanas�.
Laxmi Puja is most of the time performed in the evenings, depending upon the �mahurat� or �tithi� for the same.
According to the Hindu belief, Goddess Laxmi resembles wealth and prosperity, Thus, she is worshipped in almost every Hindu home.
