Autumn Festivity Grips Dima Hasao as Haflong Prepares for Durga Puja

 Haflong, October 14: The arrival of autumn has brought a festive mood to Dima Hasao, with Haflong gearing up for Durga Puja amid clear blue skies, swaying kash flowers and the fragrance of shiuli blossoms. This year Puja to begin from October 16.

More than 50 Durga Puja celebrations are expected to be held across the district this year, with the highest concentration in Haflong, where around 21 pujas are being organised. Preparations for pandals, idols, lighting and cultural programmes are already underway across the hill town.

Haflong's Durga Puja tradition has a long history. The puja at the Jagannath Temple, which has a legacy of around 115 years, remains one of the town's major attractions. The Durga Puja at the historic Haflong Kali Temple, along with celebrations organised by the Ramakrishna Mission and Haflong Railway Colony, also draw large numbers of devotees and visitors every year.

Alongside these traditional celebrations, the Maa Shakti Durga Puja Committee has emerged in recent years as a popular attraction in the town. Organised in the heart of Haflong, the puja focuses on a well-planned celebration, attractive pandal decoration, an aesthetically designed idol and special attractions for visitors rather than competing solely on the basis of a large budget.

Members of the puja committee said that public participation and people's affection are more important than the size of the budget in making a puja successful. The celebration has consequently attracted considerable interest, particularly among children, teenagers and young people.

Across Haflong, preparations have gathered pace. Workers are busy constructing pandals, giving finishing touches to idols and installing decorative lighting, while local markets and businesses are also witnessing increased activity ahead of the festival.

In the culturally diverse and multilingual society of Dima Hasao, Durga Puja extends beyond its religious significance and serves as an important occasion for social interaction and communal harmony. People from different communities come together at the puja pandals, making the festival a shared celebration for the entire hill town.

With the scent of shiuli in the air and kash flowers swaying in the autumn breeze, Haflong is steadily getting ready to welcome the much-awaited Sharadotsav.