Staff correspondent :

Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Bengali Hindu community, will begin tomorrow with Shashti Puja. The five-day festival will end on Tuesday, October 24, with the dedication of idols on Vijaya Dashami. 
The meaning of the word Durga is Vyuh or Abdva place. He protects the devotee from all the sorrows and hardships that bind people, such as obstacles, fear, sorrow, grief, irritation, and pain. Shastrakars have given another meaning to the name of Durga. Durga is the one who can be gained by sorrow. Goddess tests human endurance with sorrow. Then, if people called him without being restless, he would remove their sufferings. 
According to Hindu Puranas, the proper time for Durga Puja is spring, but Ramachandra, King Suratha and Vaishya Samadhi were in a dilemma and instead of waiting for spring, they woke up the goddess in autumn and worshiped her. Since then, Durga Puja became popular in autumn despite the premature birth.
According to Siddhanta Panjika, Goddess Durga will come from Kailash to Mortyaloka (Earth) riding a Ghota (horse) to wish the world well. It will increase natural calamities, diseases, grief, conflicts and fights. On the other hand, he will also bid farewell to Kailash (heaven) by riding a horse. As a result of which the incidence of pestilence and loss of life will increase in the world. 
Meanwhile, elaborate preparations have already been completed across the country to make the puja joyful. The mood of the festival is now blowing all over the country. Various mandapas are resounding with the sound of drums and brass and conch shells. According to Ramakrishna Mission Puja Nighant, the sixth day of the festival will be completed tomorrow Friday morning at 6:10 AM through Kalparambha and Bodhan Invocation and Adhivas. All mandap areas will be crowded with Chandipath from this morning.
 Mahasapthami Puja will be held on Saturday, the second day of the festival at 6.10 am. Maha Ashtami Puja will be held at 6:10 AM and Kumari Puja will be held at 11:00 AM. Sandhi Puja will start at 8:06 pm. Navami Puja will start at 6:00 am on Monday. The next day, Tuesday, Dasami Puja starts at 6:30 am. Pooja will end and darpan will be done by 9.49 am. After Aratrik in the evening, the five-day long festival will end with idol worship and drinking of peace water.  
In the capital, on the afternoon of Dasami day, Mahanagar Sarvajanin Puja Committee led the annual Vijaya Sobhayatra from Palashir Mor through Sri Sri Dhakeshwari National Temple to Palashi Bazar, Jagannath Hall, Central Shaheed Minar, Dowell Chatwar, High Court, Bangabazar, Dhaka South City Corporation Bhavan, Golap Shah Mazar, Gulisthan. Crossroads, Nawabpur Road, Rai Saheb Bazar, Bahadur Shah Park and Buriganga River Wise Ghat will end with various pujas.
 Chandranath Poddar, general secretary of Bangladesh Puja Celebration Parishad, said that Durga Puja will be held in 32,408 mandapams across the country. And in the capital Dhaka this time puja will be held in 246 mandapams. Last year, pujas were held in 32,168 temples across the country and 241 temples in the capital. 
On the occasion of Durga Puja, members of police, Ansar, BGB, RAB and other law and order forces will be responsible for the security of every pujamandap across the country including the capital Dhaka. Along with police and RAB, volunteers will be on duty in almost every mandap. The Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council has said that a meeting has already been held with the leaders of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Headquarters, Ministry of Religion, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Naval Police to ensure that the upcoming Autumn Durga Puja is completed smoothly.  
 Devotional music, distribution of clothes, distribution of Mahaprasad, aarti competition, voluntary blood donation and Vijaya procession will be held along with worship at the Dhakeswari National Temple Mandapam, known as the central puja festival in the capital. Also in Dhaka Ramkrishna Mission and Math Puja Mandap, Gulshan Banani Sarvajanin Puja Parishad Mandap, Ramana Kali Mandir and Anandamayi Ashram, Barodeshwari Kalimata Temple and Crematorium, Siddheshwari Kalimata, Bholanath Mandir Ashram, Jagannath Hall, Rishipara Gautam Mandir, Panitola Mandir in Shakhari Bazar and other Mandapams including Durgotsav. has been taken
In an exchange meeting held at the Dhakeswari National Temple auditorium on the initiative of Mahanagar Sarvajanin Puja Committee on Wednesday, it was said that Devi Paksha was initiated through the holy Mahalaya on October 14. Although the autumn Durga Puja is a religious event traditionally held by all religions, this event has now become universal. Autumn Durga Puja’s message of peace and harmony and the spirit of Surashakti’s victory over Asura’s power is universal. Thousands of years of Bengali culture and tradition have developed with this spirit in mind. They believe that autumn Durga Puja has been able to initiate a trend of unity and harmony in the national life in the construction of non-communal Bangladesh. The main theme of which is ‘Religion belongs to everyone, festival belongs to everyone’.
The Mahagarh Sarvajanin Puja Committee has given various instructions including worshiping the mother sattically while maintaining religious solemnity. It is said in the instructions that, from the preparation of the idol to the completion of the puja, the concerned police authorities will take necessary steps in coordination with the law and order members of the administration to ensure the safety of each puja.
There should be separate travel arrangements for men and women in the Puja Mandir-M and separate men and women volunteers should be kept to maintain order. List of names of volunteers (including mobile number) should be sent to District and Centre. System of body search of suspected visitors and body search of women visitors by women volunteers. The use of microphone-sets and firecrackers which cause annoyance due to loud noise should be avoided. Abstain from playing any music other than devotional music. The guidelines also say to refrain from activities that hurt someone’s religious sentiments.
On the occasion of Durgotsav, President JL Bhowmik and General Secretary Chandranath Poddar of Bangladesh Puja Celebration Parishad and President Manindra Kumar Nath and General Secretary Ramen Mondal of Mahanagar Sarvajanin Puja Committee have wished all the citizens of the country irrespective of caste and religion including the 
Hindu community.