Mumbai bids farewell to Maa Durga with an inclusive sindoor khela

The reverberating sounds of the dhaak, the aroma of incense mingled with fragrance of flowers and hundreds of happy faces of bedecked women in traditional saris: this is what all pandals in Mumbai witnessed on Vijaya Dashami day (October 5) as the five-day festival of Durga Puja came to an end.
Women were seen bidding a heartfelt goodbye to the Mother Goddess as they fed the idol sweets, betel leaves, applied sindoor on her forehead and feet and sought her blessings.
The pandals in the city had women clicking selfies and posing for pics with their friends, while some played the dhaak (huge traditional drums), and others danced to the rhythmic chant-like beats. Bollywood stars too let their hair down and joined in the revelry.

While this centuries old ritual was originally meant only for married women, Sindoor Khela has now been recognised by many Mumbai pandals to be inclusive and has unmarried, widows, transgender, LGBTQ taking part actively.
Transwoman Navya Singh, an actress, model, and dancer, has been a part of the Sindoor Khela ritual for quite a few years now. Talking to BombayTimes exclusively she says, “It's really great to see that the mainstream society is so accepting and transwomen ko bhi same darja de rahein hain, kandhe se kandha mila ke chalne ka mauka de rahe hain. They are now accepting us all and encouraging us to be a part of such a beautiful cultural festival. It feels great.”
When asked what she loves about this festival, Navya says, “I get a lot of love and respect here and I feel so empowered. It is all about equality and about inclusion. Ek shakti ki anubhav hoti hain yahan mujhe. Durga Maa is a symbol of shakti and represents the win of good over evil and it feels powerful here. I love it here!”
Media consultant Tanurupa who got married during the pandemic years says she is excited to be a part of the event this year. “This is my first Sindoor Khela as a bride and I am loving it. I missed all this last year because the celebrations were mostly online and restricted.”
Another participant at the Sindoor Utsav adds, “After Corona the festival is all the more special. The dhaak and the rituals of sindoor khela in Mumbai pandals gives me the feel of Kolkata!”

Maa Durga's five-day stay at her father’s house on Earth, comes to an end on Vijaya Dashami and she leaves with her four kids (Ganesh, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kartik) for her husband Shiva’s home in Kailash.
With a heavy heart everyone bids farewell to the Goddess and rituals of Debi Boron and Sindoor Khela are held before the visarjan. Women offer sweets, apply sindoor (vermillion) on Maa Durga idol’s forehead and feet. The sindoor left over on their fingers is then applied on each other’s face, forehead, and bangles. It is believed that it ushers in good health for the spouses and family.