Off The Cuff

Durga: Symbolism, Social Change, and the Continuum of Life Every autumn, as the sound of the dhak fills the air and clay idols of Goddess Durga rise from riverine clay, a familiar story is retold — of a warrior goddess who slays the buffalo demon to restore cosmic balance. Yet Durga is far more than a mythic figure frozen in time. She is a living cultural symbol, layered with meanings that trace humanity’s journey from prehistoric matriarchal societies to patriarchal agrarian civilizations, from fertility cults to state religion, and from...