If you’re Bengali (or Bengali-adjacent), you already know: Mahalaya is not just a date, it’s a literal mood. TBH, if you set three alarms for 3:45 am, missed all, but still made it for the last five minutes of Mahishasuramardini… you’re officially part of the club. As dawn broke on September 21, 2025, homes were filled with that signature crackly Akashvani sound, the goosebumps of Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s “Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu,” plus a rush of maa-er agomoni feels. Meanwhile, PM Modi dropped his classic festive wish, and half of India was spotted in rivers offering tarpan. Let’s just say: Pujo countdown is ON.
- The 4 AM Mahalaya Club: We Still Wake Up Early ‘Cause It Hits Different
Image courtesy India TV
Only in Bengal (and among thriving NRIs) do people jump out of bed before sunrise voluntarily. Why? To catch the OG Mahishasuramardini broadcast, spinning since the early 1930s and narrated by Birendra Krishna Bhadra, with music by Pankaj Kumar Mallick. This year, it was 4:00 am sharp on All India Radio, plus YouTube and FM, so globe-trotting desis didn’t miss out, all those feels, but in HD! Tributes for Bhadra were trending IRL in Kolkata too, proof this tradition = pure intergenerational nostalgia, from Dadi’s radio to your smartphone.
- Mahalaya = Ctrl+Alt+Del for Pujo Mood
Let’s decode: Mahalaya is basically the culture switch from Pitru Paksha (ancestor vibes) to Devi Paksha (Durga Puja pre-game). Today marks Mahalaya Amavasya, the day we say goodbye to our forefathers with gratitude and welcome Durga in full swag, like moving from sobering goodbye scenes to “dhak bajega” party mode overnight. FYI, the radio broadcast fuses Chandipath, bhajans, and the legend of Durga vs. Mahishasura, all in less than two hours; it’s the meteor shower of storytelling.
- PM Modi’s Blessing: The Most Forwarded Message This Morning
Image courtesy News18
As usual, PM Modi popped up on your timeline with a “Wishing you all Shubho Mahalaya!… may our lives be filled with light and purpose”. He wasn’t alone; leaders across the aisle slid in with their own festival greetings, making Mahalaya everyone’s business for the day. Screenshot that line, it’s perfect for your next WhatsApp status, Insta post, or just to make your Bengali parents go, “Very good, beta.”
- ‘Tarpan’ at the Ghats: Where Festive Feels Get Personal
Image courtesy Tripura Star News
Before the dhak and dhunuchi take over, Mahalaya mornings belong to “tarpan”, a humble, heartfelt ritual of offering water to ancestors. From Kolkata’s Hooghly to every pond with a ghat, families gathered at dawn, standing waist-deep in water, palms full of flowers and til, whispering gratitude. This year, even the ghats got a glow-up, plastic-free drives made sure it’s cleaner, greener, and even more special.
- Set Your Alarm (Twice) – Your Mahalaya 2026 Survival Kit
If your FOMO is real, here’s the jugaad: set alarms for 3:55 and 3:58 am. Next, lock in to Akashvani AIR Kolkata, AIR’s YouTube, or FM Rainbow/Gold (for Hindi/Bengali fans), because trust, your internet will test you at 3:59. Airtel and Jio might fight, but your playlist (and Pujo feels) must survive. Pro tip: spam your family WhatsApp group with the stream link at 11 pm the night before, thank us later.
And just like that, Pujo season has entered the chat. Crackling radios, riverside prayers, and that universal chill knowing the week ahead is full of shoshti night plans and extra ilish at lunch. Mahalaya isn’t just a date; it’s proof that our culture is made of community, memory, and a little bit of sleep deprivation. So what’s your 4 am ritual, old-school radio, WiFi stream, or straight to ghats?
