June 1, 2009

Dear Sir / Madam, Dussehra, Festival in Hindu Mythology, celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana by burning effigies of Ravana is celebrated every year across India. It is a Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. People of the Hindu faith observe Dussehra through special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples throughout India. They also hold outdoor fairs (melas) and large parades with effigies of Ravana (a mythical king of ancient Sri Lanka). The effigies are burnt on bonfires in the evening. Dussehra is the culmination of the Navaratri festival. There are many local celebrations in some areas in India that can last for up to 10 days. Local events include: Performances of the Ramlila (a short version of the epic Ramayana) in Northern India. A large festival and procession including the goddess Chamundeshwari on a throne mounted on elephants in the town of Mysore in the state of Karnataka. The blessing of household and work-related tools, such as books, computers, cooking pans and vehicles in the state of Karnataka. The preparation of special foods, including luchi (deep fried flat bread) and alur dom (deep fried spiced potato snacks), in Bengal.

Many Hindus also believe that it is lucky to start a new venture, project or journey on Dussehra. They may also exchange gifts of leaves from the Shami tree (Prosopis spicigera) as a symbol of the story of the Pandavas brothers' exile in the Mahabharata stories. Vijoya Dashami or Dussehra is celebrated as Durga Puja in two different ways in Orissa. In Shakti Peethas or temples of the goddesses, the Durga Puja is observed with rituals for a period of 10 to 16 days, known as Shodasa Upachara. The goddess Durga is also worshipped by

devotees in different pendals throughout the state. The pendals are beautifully decorated. The last day of the Sharodiya Durga Puja is known as Vijayadashami. After the last ritual Aparajita Puja is performed to the goddess, a tearful farewell is offered to her. The women offer DahiPakhal (cooked rice soaked in water, with curd), Pitha (baked cakes), Mitha (sweets) and fried fish to the Goddess. Most of the community pujas postpone the farewell as long as possible and arrange a grand send-off. The images are carried in processions known as Bhasani Jatra or Bisarjan Jatra around the locale and finally are immersed in a nearby river or lake. After the immersion of the deity, people across the state celebrate Ravan Podi, in which they burn an effigy of the demon Ravan. Like last few years, Sambad is once again planning a special colour section on the Dussehra festival. This section will appear on the day of Dussehra i.e. 24th of October 2012. The section will be of four pages, all colours and will consist of pictures, articles and some unknown facts of Dussehra and the history of the festival. To make it a collectors issue our editorial team has drawn out plans to present various less know facts about Dussehra Culture in the proposed feature. Besides this we will be carrying messages from various personalities from various fields for the people of Orissa.The Page will be distributed along with the main section of Sambad All editions. We are confident that the Sambad readers will not miss out this Issue and your participation in this special supplement will certainly give a lot of mileage to your advertising messages. Our tariff for this Special Feature will be Rs. 450/- per sq. cm. for Colour advertisement. We are hopeful that we will have your participation. Thanking you Sincerely yours

Arnab Mitra Sambad, Kolkata 9831038362