Published: 09:05 AM, 21 August 2026
Colourful Bengali Magazines Adorn Durga Puja Festivities
Durga Puja of the year 2026(Bangabda 1433) is just knocking at the door. Every year when Durga Puja is being held, we find that among the culturally loving Bengalis, an excitement is generated. In this regard, I feel that Bengalis are not indicative of not only West Bengal but also all over Bangladesh. From another perspective, Puja Sankhyas have become dear to the Bengalis who reside in other parts of the globe, such as the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland etc.
Now let me touch upon the thoughts why Puja Sankhyas has become dear to the heart of the Bengalis. It is already known to us that Bengalis across the globe are dearly fond of literature. Basically, literate Bengalis are dearly fond of literary books. It is from reading Bengali books along with English books, Bengalis across India Bangladesh plus other parts of the globe. Try to feel the pulse of Bengali culture, Puja Sankhyas will act as an anecdote to usher in a proliferation of Bengali language, culture and literature. Apart from Durga Puja, Puja Sankhyas attained tremendous importance in our heart and mind.
Throughout the previous year, we find that Bengalis tend to remain in a crestfallen and poignant situation. Basic problems which strike our mind are severe financial crises. Obviously, our mind needs to be strengthened and nurtured.
Among all the Puja Sankhyas like Desh, Ananda Mela, Sananda, Ananda Mela etc have earned such a massive encomium which became close to our mind and heart. In Puja Sankhyas, we read writings by reputed Bengali writers like Smaranjit Chakravarty, Prasun Gupta, Nrishinga Prasad Bhaduri, Tilottama Guha, Binayak Bandopadhya etc which have manifested a new awakening in the social and cultural arenas of Bengalis in both India and Bangladesh.
If my readers might raise a query that Puja Sankhyas are dear to heart during Durga Puja. This is nothing but cleanse the mental wavelength of average Bengalis. The writers who write in different Puja Sankhyas depict sorrowful plight of Bengalis residing on both sides of the fence. There is not a single humanity noticeable who is not in a stable position. Rather we find that most of them are in utterly dire straits. Looking over various Puja Sankhyas we find that writers writing in those Puja numbers appeal to the citizens to lead transparent and ethical lifestyles so that everybody leads a life of peaceful coexistence without any trace of violence and coercive temperaments.
Now in order to motivate the citizens the following ways and means to be adopted. Among all some of the common ways and means are stated as follow:
Reading Puja Sankhyas deeply.
Travel to various exciting destinations in different parts of India.
The writers while expressing thoughts through various Puja Sankhyas advise the readers to forget what happened during the previous years and instead take a strategy to think about the positives of life in the upcoming days of our life.
Puja Sankhyas teaches us to be honest and ethical in our life. During the last year, humanity across us faced grim situations from multiple aspects. It might be psychological, emotional or others, but Puja Sankhyas remains such an anecdote which can easily energize humanity to higher degree.
In order to throw light about Puja Sankhyas, there might be various ways and means behind it. Among all some of the common ones are stated as follow:
Material world
Unmanifest primary matter
Cosmic intelligence
Ego
Mind
Five subtle sense elements
Five working senses
Five knowledge senses
Five gross physical elements.
In order to throw light about Puja Sankhyas, it is not an easy one, rather a tough proposition for this writer. As a reader, we read various kinds of books, starting from the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Ashapurna Devi, Bani Bose, Suchitra Bhattacharjee, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Narayan Gangopadhyay, Nihar Ranjan Gupta, Nihar Ranjan Ray etc various other luminary figures in the field. My readers might express amazement, but there is a logic behind it. Apart from the key writers, there are other authors who posses diverse set of thoughts. They express through their writings the current situations which should be taken serious note of by the authors. If the authors does not point inconsistencies, anomalies to the societies, then the need for writing in Puja Sankhyas Care of paramount importance.
The societal set up at present is turning worse. I didn’t find any single humanity who always speaks for truth and ethics. In this regard, if any body of us speaks the above, then we derive a feeling that through various Puja Sankhyas we become dear to heart towards the need of humanity so as to alleviate the people to recover from various types of sorrows and other sufferings. The mind automatically becomes pleasant and ethical.
As days pass, the role of Puja Sankhyas will never dwindle. Rather with the passing away of each day in our life, the value of Puja Sankhyas will strengthen so as to invigorate new energy and courage in our mind and heart. Hope inclination towards Puja Sankhyas will remain upon our heart and mind forever. Last but not the least, the famous Sanskrit hymn, ‘Bidya Binayang Dadati’ which means acquiring knowledge to enrich our storehouse of knowledge. This should cakewalk our progress in life.
Sujayendra Das is a columnist
based in Calcutta, India.
