Poet and essayist
Hindus are said to have 330 million gods and goddesses. Within the religious imagination of Sanatan Dharma, however, these deities are arranged in distinct hierarchies and categories, much as they are in Greek and Egyptian mythology. In ancient Egypt, Ra, Isis, Horus and Anubis belonged to the foremost ranks of the pantheon. Among the Greeks, the principal deities were those believed to dwell on Mount Olympus, including Zeus, Hera, Athena and Poseidon.
At the outset, let us correct one misconceptions that have long been repeated. That is-- Durga Puja should be called Sharadotsav, or the autumn festival.
"All who are born must die; who has ever lived forever?" These immortal lines by the great Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt remain an eternal reminder of the inevitability of death. Although we all know that human beings are mortal, we often choose to forget this fundamental truth. This is precisely why Yudhishthira's famous observation in the Mahabharata remains profoundly relevant:
When I think about Bangladesh's honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, I am filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I feel elated, thinking about how she has taken such a small South Asian country to great heights through her unwavering dedication.