Jago Durga: Bengal calls for Justice on Mahalaya
As West Bengal prepares to welcome Devi Durga on Mahalaya, the traditional celebration transforms into a powerful call for justice. The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) unites protesters to honor the memory of Tilottama, a victim of a tragic crime, while demanding safety and accountability from the state.
Jago Durga, Jago Dasoprohoranodharini, Jago Ma – When the entire nation and Hindus living abroad are poised to welcome the advent of Devi Durga on the auspicious day of Mahalaya on October 2, 2024, with this melodious devotional number at the crack of dawn, the people in West Bengal are bracing themselves up for a ‘rousing’ reception for Devi.
Sorry for an aberration; the reception would be in a different format this year. Not the traditional blowing of conches as the rendition of ‘Mahishasura Mardini’ is destined to permeate the air with a divine throb and vibe before the sun peeps out.
The conches will of course be blown; patriotic songs and poems would of course be recited. However, the streets of the City of Joy will be witness to a historic ‘Jago Durga’ slogan.
The fusion of a determined voice of hundreds and thousands of protesters demanding justice for Tilottama, the victim of rape and murder at the state-run R G Kar Medical College & Hospital, at Esplanade in the heart of Central Calcutta, is likely to add an altogether different flavour to ‘Jago Durga’ at the break of dawn this year.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front (WBJDF) has given a call to all the doctors, medical associations, and citizens’ fora and organisations, for a massive rally followed by a gathering at Dharmatala, the city’s epicentre at 1pm on October 2.
The call for ‘Justice for Tilottama’ coinciding with ‘Mahalaya’, is absolutely unprecedented. For the first time since respected Birendra Krishna Bhadra illumined millions of devotional hearts with his awesome repertoire of ‘Chandipath’ (Rendition of slokas of Goddess Chandi) way back in 1966, the occasion would be observed as the day of mourning for the ghastly murder as well as for demanding justice that must not be delayed and denied.
The doctors’ choosing this day to further pitchfork their agitation assumes a greater significance. ‘Mahalaya’, derived after a fusion of the words ‘Maha’ & ‘Alaya’ signifying ‘Abode of the Goddess’, marks the beginning of the much-awaited festival of Durga Puja, a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.
The occasion is celebrated throughout India and abroad with variations in customs and traditions; but there is one unifying thread that binds all Hindus – the crushing defeat of the evil by a more solemn yet divine force being represented by the Goddess.
Mahalaya that traditionally falls on Amabashya (New Moon) signifies the concluding day of the 15-day Pitripaksha, heralding the Devipaksha from the next day. Thus, Mahalaya bears an immense religious significance; devotees perform various rituals through Pitri Tarpan and Pind Daan at the end of Pitripaksha armed with a traditional belief that the ancestors, awaiting salvation and freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth, finally succeed in availing this comfort by the present generation.
So, notwithstanding a boon of invincibility (Read the powerful state machinery), the battle between Mahishasura and Durga (Movement & struggle for Justice for Tilottama) that raged for nine days and nights, culminated in the defeat of the demon on the tenth day.
The WBJDF’s prolonged cease work-cum-agitation for justice which had received an overwhelming mass support throughout the nation and abroad, will be entering another crucial phase from Mahalaya.
For, the federation has resumed their complete cease work from yesterday, lodging utter disappointment with India’s Supreme Court for its failure to restore justice after the brutal rape and murder of their young PGT.
The Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the rape and murder of Tilottama by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already entered an extremely important stage. The central probe agency has stumbled on a plethora of tell-tale evidence that point to a larger conspiracy of an elaborate and planned evidence tampering exercise and mind-boggling corruption in the said hospital and beyond.
Even as the top court during its hearing of the Tilottama case in the second half of Tuesday, issues a bunch of directives to the West Bengal government, the federation went into a huddle last night for a prolonged GB (General Body Meet) and finally issued a statement:”Unless we receive clear action from the government on safety, patient services, and the politics of fear, we will have no choice but to continue our complete strike.”
The Junior Doctors’ return-to-cease-work stemmed from an alleged nasty mob attack on medics and nurses at a state-run hospital in the northern fringe of the city late last week. The police outpost in the hospital failed to act and save the doctors and nursing staff from being thrashed up by the relatives of a patient who expired, the doctors alleged.
The WBJDF which decided to raise this latest assault on medics with the top court when it resumed the hearing through its counsel Mrs Vrinda Grover, claimed that the attack was a clinching proof of the state government’s abject failure to ensure safety of the doctors and sanctity of the hospitals in Bengal at large.
“The response of the state authorities is absolutely disappointing, compelling us to restart our cease work across all state-run hospitals from midnight last night,” a WBJDF spokesperson told eastindiastory.com.
Hence, the Doctors’ Federation has chosen the auspicious day of Mahalaya to add steam to their ongoing movement. “Preparations are in full swing to make the congregation a historic one on Wednesday. We’ve invited people from all walks of life to participate in this spontaneous protest where there will be singing, recitals of poems and performance of skits,” the spokesperson said.
What's Your Reaction?
