Bijoya - whose?

Who is Durga? The slayer of demons? Or merely the mother of four other great gods? Who does SHE want to be — nurturer or destroyer? Maybe the answer is lost in the swirling river current every Dashami...
Durga came to my neighbourhood too, many times. The idol was so beautiful, with large dark motherly eyes and long curly hair. But the shining weapons and fury in her movements told otherwise. She was like a tiger — graceful and deadly alike. Durga IS powerful. She is the goddess of the universe. She killed many demons and was untamed - until she got married. After that, she just raised her children quietly until they became famous gods themselves.
It’s all mythology, I know. But I wonder if she really wanted to get married. Maybe she was happier being like an eagle, deadly but free. Maybe that’s why she keeps coming back to Bengal, where her husband is just a tiny picture on the wall. Where people see only Durga as all-powerful. Not as wife of Shiva, mother of Ganesh. Where her identity is her own.
I went to watch the immersion. I wanted to say goodbye. They took the idol in a barge out to the middle of the Hooghly River and then lowered her beneath the current. The beautiful ornaments floated away, the vibrant red dress became wet and clingy. I stared in shock as the paint on her face too began to dissolve. Her lips smeared like red lipstick after a night out. Two dark tears rolled down from her wet eyes. Her sculpted features gave way to a misshapen brown. Was the goddess mere ‘human clay’ too? The last thing I saw was the deep brown eyes looking back at me, saying a silent goodbye.
As I watched her go, I fancied I heard a strange cry somewhere on the wind. Strange, because it was a shout of triumph. Then I understood - Mahishasura had won. The goddess was now helpless and tamed. I wondered what Dashami was really the celebration of - the death of a demon or the death of a warrior. Maybe only the river knows the answer - that is why she weeps and carries Durga away as fast as she can.