Sindoor Khela is a ritual performed every year on the last day of Durga Puja – Vijayadashami.But, why restrict it only to married women?
Sindoor Khela is a ritual performed every year on the last day of Durga Puja – Vijayadashami. But, why restrict it only to married women?
Why do you need to be a man’s wife first to participate in a ritual? Durga Puja itself denotes the celebration of woman’s universal power. Aren’t we demeaning the women who aren’t ‘privileged’ to be a wife?
Recently, The Times of India came out with a video ‘Sindoor Khela’ for the daughters who never got to play in this ritual. The video features eminent Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta, Manabi Bandopadhyay, the first transgender person in India to complete a Doctor of Philosophy, Gargi Roychowdhury, another popular actress of the Bengali screen, and Sohini Sengupta, popular theatre actress.
Durga Puja is the greatest festival of the eastern hemisphere (and a pretty big one in other parts of the country), so why make anyone feel small by putting up barriers? Is it a sex worker’s fault that she works to pay her bills? Why is it a crime to be a lesbian? What if a woman is no longer married? If the Supreme Court of India can provide transgendered people with their due rights, why can’t we include everyone in this holy ritual of Sindoor Khela which is all about togetherness?
According to mythology, the colour red denotes bravery, protection, and strength. These women are brave enough to fight every day with society and its vicious norms. They are living examples of strength. They don’t need your protection because all their life they have done that alone. Hence, let us smear their faces too with vermillion and not just that of the married woman.
Who are you and I to decide who is eligible to participate in Sindoor Khela? Maa Durga belongs to everyone. As it is rightly conveyed in the video – this poojo let’s change the tradition of division.
Watch and enjoy!
I'm a Political Science student from St.Xavier's College, Kolkata. Biryani and F.R.I.E.N.D.S are the best possible read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
We are often told that our 'value' diminishes with each person we give ourselves to sexually, but I believe pleasurable, casual sex with full consent made me a better, more honest, and deeply caring person.
We are often told that our ‘value’ diminishes with each person we give ourselves to sexually, but I believe pleasurable, casual sex with full consent made me a better, more honest, and deeply caring person.
It was a regular afternoon, and we were having lunch on the bleachers in the basketball court at school, when the question was first posed. We could not have been older than eleven and in retrospect it feels like we may have been too young for this discussion, but at the time it seemed like a perfectly natural thing to discuss.
There are many, many girls like Seema who are stuck in loveless, abusive marriages; the abuse can be verbal, emotional, physical, financial.
Trigger Warning: This has domestic violence and may be triggering for survivors.
Sinjini Sengupta pens a beautiful, nostalgic and introspective piece on Durga Puja, a magical Indian festival of homecoming.
“How can I explain to them that while I am a staunch atheist, I still, happily and willingly, love Durga Puja as if it’s a very part of me?” Sinjini Sengupta pens a beautiful, nostalgic and introspective piece on this magical Indian festival of homecoming.
The widows in our society are women just like you or me. Let's understand them and not degrade them with our superstitions and discriminatory beliefs.
The widows in our society are women just like you or me. Let’s understand them and not degrade them with our superstitions and discriminatory beliefs.
23rd June was International Widow’s Day. While a day is not enough to realize a cause, it is also true that a particular day has the power to remind us about the cause so that we become aware of our shortcomings and change our attitude for the better.