Durga Puja Festivities Begin Today

Indians celebrate many festivals, and one big festival in West Bengal is Durga Puja. It celebrates Goddess Durga, who defeated a demon called Mahishasura. 

Durga Puja is celebrated in September or October. This year it starts on October 21st (Maha Saptami) and ends on October 24th (Vijaya Dashami). On Vijaya Dashami, the idols of the Gods and Goddesses are drowned in rivers or seas.  

 In Siliguri, many colourful pandals with big and beautifully decorated idols have been set up. Anyone can visit these pandals. Many people are going to these pandals in large numbers, causing traffic jams. 

To keep things safe, the police have a free app called Kavach. You can download it from Google Playstore. If you have an emergency, you just press a button in the app, and it tells the police where you are so they can help you. This app works all year.