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However, just four days later, on the occasion of Vijaya Dahsami on Thursday, the same Bengali women had bid farewell to the same "Devi Durga" but more as a "daughter at home," going back to her in-laws' place for a year.

In fact, while bidding farewell to Goddess Durga on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, similar rituals are followed, which are typical of any traditional Bengali family, while sending a young bride to her in-laws' place a day after the latter's marriage.

The scenes at the different Puja pandals were the same. Women mostly clad in red and white sarees went to the different Puja pandals, first covered the face of the Durga idols with betel leaves, smeared vermillion on the foreheads and cheeks of the idols, and finally pressed sweetmeats on the lips of the idols.

After that, the rituals with the idols were over, and the women celebrated the occasion, smearing vermillion on each other's foreheads and cheeks.

Explaining the rationale behind the ritual, Monosree Banerjee (36), a resident of the Lake Town area in North Kolkata, said that for Bengalis, Devi Durga is not just a goddess who destroys evils.

"She is more like a daughter at home, who, after a point in time, goes to her in-laws' place. For us, these four days of Durga Puja are an occasion of the daughter coming to our homes from her in-laws' place. Now she is again going back to her in-laws' place for a year, and hence we bid her farewell through such rituals where vermillion, considered a ritualistic symbol for all married women, plays an important role," she explained.

According to Supriya Mukherjee (63), a resident of the Maheshtala area in the southern outskirts of Kolkata, the Vijaya Dashami rituals of bidding farewell to Maa Durga remind her of the days when she was a newly-married bride.

"We wait for this day throughout the year. I was a new bride once. Now I have become a mother-in-law. But the excitement remains the same. Though we feel a bit sad today because we have to wait for another year, this Sindoor Khela also promises to bring our daughter Uma back again. With a heavy heart, we bid goodbye to our dearest Uma, but this tradition holds the significance of Bengali culture and rituals. This year, I lost my sister-in-law just 15 days ago, and because of that, our family is shaken to the core. But we have taken part in the ritual so that we can keep the promises running, Mukherjee said.

"Sindoor khela has gradually become an integral part of our culture for years now. From being a ritual on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami, it has transformed into a celebration of life and womanhood. The festival gives us a chance to take blessings from Ma Durga by touching Sindoor on Maa's feet and then spreading the blessing among peers. It is a ritual of married women celebrating the bond of marriage, matriarchy, motherhood, and family values. We celebrate it together, with other married women, celebrating each other by putting sindoor on one another. It is a feeling of togetherness and bonding," said 69-year-old Keya Saha, a resident of the Bowbazar area in north Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the immersion process has started since Tuesday afternoon at several Ganges ghats, other lakes, and artificial water-bodies in different parts of Kolkata. The immersion process is being done under blanket security coverage jointly manned by personnel from Kolkata Police, the disaster management department, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and the river traffic guard.

On Thursday, the rush for immersion was lesser since puja organisers mainly in housing complexes, individual residences, and extremely conservative community Puja organisers go for immersion on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

- IANS