TeaRinmool Congress may have distanced himself From MP Mahua Moitra’s remarks made about Kali, a “meat eater, a drinker”, but for most Bengalis, it’s a non-issue, From the fiery Ugra Tara of Tarapith to the “pet” Maa Kali of Kalighat and the less fiery Ada Kali of Dakshineswar – there are many versions of the goddess. As always, the real cause of controversy is its politics.
mansagher bags (mutton curry) and whiskey are actually an important part of many households in Kolkata and Bengal during Kali Puja, which coincides with Diwali in North India. As Moitra said, the practice of carving the mother taxes sudha Or liquor is installed in Tarapith. In my 23 years living and growing up in Kolkata, I have always seen the first peg placed at Devi’s feet.
In such a situation, the question is, why would any party in Bengal raise objection to its leader talking about the accepted practice in the state? It is here that Mamata Banerjee’s national expansion plans in North Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana contrast with her party’s politics in Bengal.
Read also: The dishes of Kali Puja include Veg Mutton, Chopsi, Biryani, Gilt and Gelusil.
many buds of bengal
Tarapith, one of the ‘Shakti Peeths’ of Goddess Sati, is said to have fallen when Lord Vishnu cut her body into 51 pieces. Lord Shiva later wandered around the universe with the body mourning his death. There are 51 such Shaktipeeths in India, where every part of the body of the Goddess is said to have fallen. Maa Ugra Tara, a tantric version of Goddess Kali is worshiped here.
With vermilion on her forehead, her mouth stained with blood and wearing a necklace of skulls, she is seen as a tantric goddess who fulfills the wishes of those who sacrifice at her altar. Animal sacrifice or bidi is a famous ritual here, and meat is served to please the goddess. Offering of liquor to the goddess, which is known as . is referred to as taxes sudha, There is also an established practice,
In the Adyapeetha of Dakshineswar, Aadya Kali is more modest, but still Kali is depicted as a demon goddess with her tongue out, wearing a skull necklace and standing on Lord Shiva. However, in Dakshineswar, there is no practice of animal sacrifice or offering of alcohol.
Kalighat in Kolkata is one of the most famous and important Kali temples in West Bengal. Her “demonic” qualities as Kali pictured here are pacified. It has a more “motherly” image. Hindu studies scholar Sanjukta Gupta in her article captivation of goddess Kalighat writes about Kali, calling her “youth attractive and the perfection of feminine beauty”. Wide-eyed, devoid of skulls and having a closed mouth, the black here is in contrast to the one at Tarapith or Dakshineswar – a fusion of the non-vegetarian Tantric (Sakata) tradition as well as the vegetarian Vaishnava tradition, both of which date back to the 17th century. It had a deep impact on Bengal.
However, it is true that over the years all forms of the goddess have been worshipped, even though the customs of some have clashed with each other.
Read also: Being Bengali was the only religion in West Bengal, but then entered BJP
TMC’s dilemma
During the 2021 assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party did not find many takers for its vegetarian, Ram-worship of Hinduism in the state. As the TMC has repeatedly said, the BJP “doesn’t understand Bengal”.
The same logic now weakens the TMC in the states of North India, which the BJP considers numerically. And linking any goddess to non-vegetarian and alcohol consumption is unlikely to fly into any of the Hindi-speaking states where Mamata Banerjee plans to expand. So what kind of Hinduism should TMC adopt? The one that Bengal clearly believes in, or the one that won the BJP more than half the seats in Parliament?
Any regional party looking to expand at the national level is unlikely to face such a dilemma. Most states do politics on the basis of their regional identity, and hence it becomes difficult to create a national identity. But it doesn’t take a political expert to find out that a lot in this cricket match depends on whether you let the ball go.
But in condemning Mahua Moitra now many (including BJP) are telling TMC that mere condemnation is not enough. After all, BJP suspended Nupur Sharma.
The TMC has avoided the risk of being seen as anti-Hindu, only now falling into the trap of being seen as “not good enough” against someone who, according to the party’s own confession, is a Hindu goddess. reprehensible remarks against
For now, Moitra and the TMC leadership need to hold talks. And maybe, the party should send him and everyone else a memo: Protecting Bengali identity is no longer the party’s only line.
Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Srinjoy Dey)