Charak Puja, also known as Gajan festival or Neel Puja is a traditional folk festival of West Bengal which marks the end of the Bengali year. The festival bids farewell to a passing year, with all it sufferings and ushers in prosperity. During the festival, believers wear costumes and dress up as Lord Shiva, Hanuman, Raavan, Radha and Krishna. Celebrations apart, the festival has its share of strange rituals such as placing a foot on an infant, an act that is considered to bring blessings and good riddance. Although the festival is common among the rural agricultural population of the state, even the city of Kolkata is not spared such acts. THE WEEK photographer Salil Bera captures scenes from the festival celebrations in Patuapara, Kalighat in Kolkata.
