Today is Mahalaya. The final day of Pitrupaksha (the fortnight dedicated to ancestors). The day began at 4 am when Bengalis woke up to the Chandipath in Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s voice. And after that, people have thronged the ghats of the Ganga. At Babughat, Bagbazar, Shobhabazar, Nimtala, and almost every ghat in Kolkata, people gathered to perform tarpan rituals in memory of their forefat
The similar picture was seen not just in Kolkata, but across the district ghats as well. At Howrah’s Chandmari Ghat, there was a massive rush from the morning itself. Thousands of people offered tarpan with sesame seeds, rice, and water as offerings to their ancestors. The rituals continued in similar fashion at Digha, the Tilpara reservoir in Birbhum, and Satighat in Bankura.
To manage the heavy crowds, police are maintaining strict vigilance. River traffic police and disaster management teams are patrolling the ghats to prevent accidents, while additional forces were deployed at every ghat.
Meanwhile, on the eve of Mahalaya, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated several major Durga Puja pandals on Saturday, including those at Sreebhumi, Tala Prottoy, and Hatibagan Sarbojonin. The inaugurations began with the Hatibagan Sarbojonin pandal by Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh. However, the Chief Minister clarified that she never inaugurates the idol (Matri Murti) before the tarpan.