Rituals, in all communities, are important for the collective spiritual wellbeing. These bind the members together, reaffirming and reinforcing group identity.
The harvest festival, ongoing in many parts of India celebrates the creative powers of Nature in different forms. In Bengal, Ghot Puja (translation: worship of the pot) initiates the ritualistic process.
The pot filled with water, with a vermilion figurine drawn on it, symbolizes the pregnant womb. The daab (green coconut), the amrapatra (5 mango leaves) placed at the mouth of the pot, flowers, represent Her organic proliferation. This worship of Goddess Durga, Mother Earth, has its roots in ancient Fertility practices.
People also remember their ancestors during this period, in gratitude for their present existence, reiterating the continuity of familial generations, being and becoming.
Rituals are meant to give meaning to life and living processes. But, not everybody in the community that follows a ritual believes in it. So, are rituals still important today?
