Divine Durga by Rekha Jad

As the nine day longand Durga Pooja festivities come to culmination,I m increasingly spotting  Durga in each n every female,even if a paler imitation.

Women like  goddess Durga have  to combat demons like Mahishasur ', Shumbh - Nishumbh' , Madhu kaitabh ' wily Raktbheej and Chand - Mund

 in her quotidian life,  and she encounters many more prowlers in her life time.

"Durga" comes from durg or fort which protects an empire; doesn't a woman shield her family like a collosal fortress .Durga durg nashni is an ode to women who bring out people from rut of their miseries, misfortunes,agonies and dillema s.
Maa Durga is most revered in Hindu Pantheon.A splendid,multilimbed goddess striding aside the king of animals,holding weapons in each hand,except one which is kept free for showering blessings to her devotees.Her weapons include an array of Trident,Conch,Spear,Axe,a Bow n Arrow,Lotus and masculinity depicting snake.
Comparable to the nine divine forms of Durga, worshiped on different days of navratra,woman too has been performing these obligation s in different avatars.

As a wife,she stands by her husband in all moments of crises and success. She epitomizes purity n faithfulness.A woman gives wings to her children to soar high,though fledglings these days fly so far as never to return to their nests,but yet a mother s selfless, unconditional love is supreme.she is a mentor,guide,a protective cocoon for her kids.like a rat sensing the earthquake,she can forecast any imminent peril to her children.

Woman as a sister is most trusted friend and confidant. As a daughter,she is a beacon of love n warmth in family.A girl who lives all her life like an appendage to mother's hem of saree, doesn't take a jiffy to accept an unfamiliar family as a devoted daughter in law.Though sometimes she is treated like an unwelcome intruder and followed by loathsome eyes and greeted with  stony silence.But she remains a nonchalant daughter in law.
Myriad of demons ,she has to face spring up in the womb and end with smoldering fire of her pyre.Survival in a patriarchal n patrilineal society, discrimination, exploitation, molestation,rape and domestic violence are the devil's she has to encounter,sentenced to a life of agonies n miseries.
This human incarnate of Durga is bestowed with some gifts of holy spirit which act as her weapons.Fortitude is one of them,females have an strong emotional power to withstand any adversity.she is no longer ready to be a castaway or a shadow dweller.Her grit n courage helps her to emerge out of any catastrophe as stronger, smarter n more powerful She does not hold herself hostage to hope and fortune.Her wisdom helps her to make her  her own journey n endings.She stands upto fiery test of society and it's warped rules and emerged on her own terms.This unfailing wisdom makes her heroic. Gone are days of preconceived notions,"I m a woman,I m doomed to suffer."
Her unfaltering determination makes her a multitasking maven,switching her cognitive energies swiftly. She juggles a job , household,demanding career and motherhood;but accomplishes all without losing her sanity .She is the cook,a teacher,an administrator,an economist,an artist,a health officer, interior decorator ,wardrobe manager etc.A plethora of jobs,it's an unending list.She endures it till wit s end and overcomes a lumbered life with dignity and honour .
In this digital  age  in the hands jostling for space,one hand is kept free,not for blessings,but for clicking selfies .After all ,she has to camouflage her scars as cherishing  memories,like battle wounds which beautifully show what u have gone through and how strong u are coming out of it.