Jaipur: Of the women, by the women, for all Jaipur residents — this Durga Puja will be unlike any other. For the first time in the city, a group of women have come together to organise an all-women Durga Puja from Sept 27, breaking away from the male-dominated tradition of puja committees. Every aspect of the festival — from designing the theme and idol to choosing the bhog and raising funds — will be handled entirely by women.The idea was born from a simple observation. Despite worshipping the goddess as the embodiment of Shakti, most puja committees are run by men. Determined to challenge that paradox, the women decided to take charge of the grand celebration themselves. “In our puja, every decision is being taken by women — big and small. Many pujos have Mahila Samitis; we too have a Purush Samiti, but only as an ancillary. The decision-making rests solely with women,” said Rakhee Roytalukdar, a journalist who is the secretary of the puja committee. The celebrations will take place at Chordia Outhouse, Kanota Bagh, on Takht-e-Shahi Road. The organisers — working and retired professionals — are self-funding the puja, underscoring their independence and commitment. They have also formed a society, Anandoprabha, to take their cultural mission beyond Durga Puja. Future plans include book talks, Bangla reading circles, musical evenings, dramas, and year-round festivals to promote Bengali culture in Jaipur. Although time and resources limited their ability to include women priests and dhaakis this year, the organisers said they are determined to incorporate these elements in the future. “Decentralisation is the guiding principle. Every member has taken charge of one responsibility — finance, for instance, is being handled by Sudarshana Chakroborty, a retired banker,” Roytalukdar said. The committee is led by president Pronoti Ray, a retired special educator; vice presidents Mandira Das and Arpita Chatterjee; and joint secretary Ramona Mukherjee, all working as teachers in respected schools of Jaipur.
