Durga Puja — it begins today — is a wonderful amalgamation of the divine and the secular. The religious fervour is notable. Even during an era of sweeping social and cultural transformations, around this time of year, Bengalis — in Calcutta, all over the country and the world — try their best to adhere to certain traditions that have been passed down the ages. Tarpan, anjali and that other Bengali favourite — bhog — are manifestations of a continuum that is both illuminating and educative. Yet, it would not be correct to view Bengal’s biggest festival as a purely orthodox religious occasion. For instance, it has distinct material benefits. A first-of-its-kind study commissioned by the Bengal government has come up with some significant findings: the annual festivity contributes 2.58 per cent to Bengal’s gross domestic product. Allied activities also generate supplementary seasonal employment while the economic worth of art and decoration is worth Rs 860 crore.

What is also significant is that Durga Puja serves as a mirror of the times. Like every other year, the ‘theme’ of many community Pujas will be echoing contemporary concerns this year too. For instance, the ‘anxiety of the refugees’, underscoring New India’s sudden willingness to view citizenship from a religious perspective, is being explored — aesthetically — by one particular club. The farmers’ protest features in another Puja in the northern part of the city. More importantly, there are numerous examples of the festival functioning as a crucial bridge to plug the chasms that are being opened up in ties between communities. In an inspiring example at a time of intense communal strife in the country, Muslims and Hindus are known to join hands to organize festivities, reinforcing Durga Puja’s truly representative nature. This strange but important assimilation of seemingly contradictory forces — secular and faith, private and political — makes Bengal’s festival absolutely unique.