Ladies, gentlemen, kids.. namashkar.. good evening..

a warm welcome and heartiest

greetings to all of you who are present here on this auspicious Mahasaptami evening.
Since this festival is in celebration of the arrival of Goddess Durga in our midst, we start
our three evenings of cultural programmes by welcoming Maa.
Intro –
1 DD
English Our first programme “Ya Chandi” is an ode the Mother Goddess, where we are going to
share, through songs and verses, how Maa is there – with us and for us - not only in
idols and temples, but also in every mother and every woman and also as Mother
Nature. She blesses us and protects us in every way – and we as humans need to
understand and respect that, and respect the Mother in all her forms.
Intro -
2 DD From Script
Bengali
Yada Yada chanting
3 Song Group
Ya Chandi song
Mother is the heart of the family in India, and Indian society accords her a special and
Narration -
4 DD central position. The Upanishads and other ancient scriptures tell us “Matri Devo
English
Bhava” i.e. the Goddess resides in every mother.
Narration -
5 FV From Script
Bengali
6 Song Group Jagat Janani
The Markandeya Purana tells us how Mahishashur, empowered and emboldened by
Brahma The Creator’s blessings, had unleashed waves of terror and torment in
Paradise.
Narration -
7 DD Brahma, swayed by the fervent appeals of the denizens of Paradise, joined hands with
English
Vishnu and Maheshwar. Durga is the apotheosis of the amalgamated power and energy
of this Holy Trinity. She has no beginning and end; she has no rigid form and
appearance; she is eternal. And she appeared to rescue the tormented gods and
goddesses of Paradise.
Narration -
8 MV From Script
Bengali
9 Song Group Shubhro Shankha Rawbey
Mahishashur, emboldened by his earlier successes and intoxicated in his own anger and
arrogance, engages in battle with Goddess Durga. He resorts to many tactics, tricks and
masquerades to hoodwink and defeat Maa Durga. But all to no avail – the goddess
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10 DD holds firm and is unaffected by all the strength and trickery. Finally, inevitably, Maa
English
Durga slays the monster by impaling with her spear. And then, as mortal and celestial
beings alike sing out in joy, the world starts resounding to the sounds of a beautiful ode
to the Goddess.
Narration -
11 MV From Script
Bengali
12 Song Group Jaya Jaya He Mahishashurmardini
While our ancient scriptures and traditions emphasise the ideal - the need to respect
and worship women, we also need to recognise the reality – the trials, tribulations and
sacrifices that women have had to face since time immemorial. Whether it’s Sita or
Draupadi from our epics or Antigone from the Greek epics or millions of real-life
Narration - individuals all around us, women have had to endure tragic fates through the millennia.
13 DD
English
However, we need to realise that women must not be reduced to the stereotypes of
weaker sex or fairer sex – they are equals to men in every sense. As luminaries like
Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose have emphasised, no nation and
no society can progress unless women claim their rightful place in this world.
Narration -
14 FV From Script
Bengali
15 Song Group Bandh Bhenge Dao
Narration - Today, we can rightfully assert that intrinsic to every woman are the energy and power
16 DD
English of the Mother Goddess – the divine balance of strength and softness that is unique to
 women. It is through the re-awakening and resurgence of that latent power in women
that women can emerge from the troubles and tribulations that an artificial social order
has imposed on them. As Rabindranath Tagore had said in one of his poems, the
emancipation and empowerment of women is rightfully theirs – not something to be
endowed by anyone else.
Narration -
17 MV From Script
Bengali
18 Song Group Oi Ujjwalo Din
In today’s world, while we are seeing unprecedented proliferation of technology,
industry and material riches, we are also witnessing an ever-increasing pollution all
around us. Pollution not only of the air, water and the environment around us, but also
of the souls within us as mankind has become more and more. This pollution is
corroding away foundational human values – replacing compassion, care and love with
Narration -
19 DD avarice, aggression and apathy.
English
This spiritual pollution in our souls and the mindless exploitation of Mother Nature is
not without repercussions. The unprecedented scale and incidence of recent natural
calamities, and the misery suffered by millions, can only be seen as the inevitable
consequence of such untrammelled avarice.
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20 FV From Script
Bengali
The pursuit of material and artificial riches has alienated us from nature. Has weakened
our connect with the earth – earthen sights, smells and sounds. We often feel
suffocated and cut off from our roots. And we yearn for experiences that can help
Narration - remind us of that connect.
21 DD
English
Come – let’s experience a beautiful medley of Bengali folk Bhatiali songs. The earthy
beats and tunes will remind us of a world full of melodious birdsongs and gently flowing
rivers – a world that we miss so much today.
Narration -
22 MV From Script
Bengali
23 Song Group Medley Song
We are now nearing the close of this programme. So, we want to end by praying to Maa
Narration - Durga to give us the power to awaken our inner souls and to enlighten our minds – so
24 DD
English that we all can take the right course of action – to restore the Mother in all her forms to
her rightful place.
Narration -
25 MV From Script
Bengali
26 Song Group Singhastha Sashishekhara
Participant names in order of sitting sequence
Tabla: Srikant Panda
Keyboard: J P Sharma

Sreemoyee Banerjee
Sudeshna Majumdar
Bulbul Sur
Barsha Arora
Concluding
Mitra Ghosh
27 Comments - DD
Gopi Majmudar
English
Anamitra Das
Sourav Gupta
Sandeep Mukherjee
Gaurav Gupta

Narration: Mrs Alpona Gupta

Prof Dharmadas Ghosh
Debangshu Das