The Durga Puja season has started and already you can see preparations being made across the country for one of the biggest festivals in the Hindu calendar.
In the midst of all this, the all-women committee of the Mrittika Club has chosen Nafisa, an eight-year-old girl hailing from the Pathuriaghata area of New Town in Kolkata for their very first Kumari Puja.
Nafisa will be worshipped as a symbol of Goddess Durga by the group during the Kumari Puja held on Mahashtami.
What Does This Mean?
Kumari Puja is one of the many rituals that take place during the 10-day festival of Durga Puja across the country. In this particular ritual, groups or families select an unmarried girl and worship her as a symbol of the goddess herself.
As per Hindu texts, the puja is held in light of the goddess Kali eliminating Kolasur and is held at the end of the Mahastami puja. While it is said to select prepubescent girls for this puja, especially Brahmin girls, it is not uncommon these days to deviate slightly from this rule.
The Mrittika Club members especially claim that their inspiration for choosing a Muslim girl as their ‘Kumari’ was Swami Vivekananda.
According to sources, Swami Vivekananda in 1898 had asked his Muslim boatman if he would let him worship his four-year-old daughter as Goddess Durga at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Srinagar for his Kumari Puja that year.
Read More: The Hype About Mahishasur Mardini On Mahalaya, The Day That Announces The Advent Of Durga Pujo
Apparently, he also bowed and touched the feet of the little girl as part of the puja, something that inspired many people.
Prathama Mukherjee, Mrittika’s club secretary stated “If Swamiji could worship a Muslim girl more than a century ago, why can’t we do it now?”
The club members are said to be inspired by the teachings of Belur Math, the Ramakrishna Math and Mission headquarters that Swami Vivekananda founded.
Saba, Nafisa’s mother, who works as a domestic help is reportedly also excited that her daughter was chosen for the ritual.
Shatabdi Ganguly, Nafisa’s teacher added “She was surprised and didn’t know how to react initially. We sat her down and explained the customs, and she agreed happily.”
This is not the first time that a Muslim girl has been chosen for the Kumari puja though.
In 2019, an engineer from Arjunpur, Baguihati in West Bengal invited four-year-old Fatima the daughter of a grocery store owner near Fatehpur Sikri, as the chosen one for his family’s Kumari puja that year.
He was quoted by Indian Express explaining his decision that he and his family had been celebrating Durga Puja since 2013 and “We first started with a Brahmin girl. But in subsequent years, we have chosen non-Brahmin girls, including a Dalit, also as Kumari. This time, we thought of worshipping a Muslim girl.”
He further added “Does she look like Muslim? What is looking like Muslim? I can see the qualities of a Brahmin in a Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist or a Jain” and also clarified that no one really opposed his choice of ‘Kumari’ for the puja.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: India Times, TOI, The Indian Express
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This post is tagged under: Muslim Girl Kumari Puja, Kumari Puja, Kumari Puja 2023, Kumari Puja bengali, inclusivity, navami, durga puja, durga puja 2023, durga puja bengal, durga puja kolkata, Mrittika club, Mrittika club kolkata, Mrittika club kumari puja, Kolkata, Vivekananda, Muslim Girl
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