Devasis Chattopadhyay ( Devasis )

Every autumn, in #Bengal, ordinary citizens perform a remarkable civic exercise. They pool money, negotiate differences, organise resources, commission artists, coordinate public services and build temporary structures of extraordinary ambition. Then, within days, they dismantle everything they have created. No permanent asset to inherit, no monument to possess, no promise of permanence. Only the satisfaction of working together and keeping faith with a collective undertaking. It is a symbol of harmony. #Durga #Puja in Bengal never promoted divisiveness. In my essay, 'The Democracy of Dust', [ #TheStatesman, Festival Issue, 2026] I look beyond the familiar narratives of nostalgia, food and cultural celebration to examine Durga Puja as an experiment in grassroots democracy. At its heart lies the 'para' or 'mohalla', the '#neighbourhood' as a self-organising and governing #community, capable of collective decision-making and civic action without waiting for a government scheme to bring people together. This extraordinary tradition also offers other lessons. Artisans participate across religious boundaries; the symbolism of the diverse clay sources used to make the goddess; and the annual act of immersion, through which a community willingly relinquishes what it has laboured so hard to create. The concept of 'tyaga'. Together, they reveal a social institution whose meaning extends well beyond religious observance.This matters not only to Bengal, but to India. At a time when public life is increasingly marked by polarisation, civic promises remain unfulfilled, and governance is too often deferred, Durga Puja offers a different perspective on how communities can function. It demonstrates that democracy is not confined to elections, legislatures or government offices. It is also practised in neighbourhood meetings, shared responsibilities and the capacity to accommodate differences. Durga Puja today is as much a social and cultural festival as a religious celebration. Reducing it to religious identity alone diminishes its larger civic significance. The mohalla is not a relic of the past. It is a living being. Everyone is a part of democracy. Brute force has no place in it.