New Delhi: The vermilion on their faces was a sign of celebration, but the tears in their eyes told another story. At a Durga Puja pandal in CR Park, women dressed in red-and-white saris gathered for sindoor khela, applying vermilion to Maa Durga before turning to their daughters, friends and fellow devotees to share the ritual. The dhak beats grew louder, people danced and phones captured the moments, but beneath the festivities was the knowledge that, by evening, the goddess would be on her way to the immersion ground.For the Bengali community, Dashami is not simply the last day of a festival; it is an emotional farewell to a daughter who has come home for a few days before returning to her celestial abode. The rituals of the morning, the final prayers and the procession accompanying the idol to the immersion site are all part of saying goodbye — until next year.At the B Block Durga Puja celebrations in CR Park, where the community is marking its 51st year of organising the puja, the feeling was personal for Ratna Basu. “The whole year goes into waiting for Maa to come. Today, playing sindoor khela with my daughter, I cannot describe what I feel,” she said, her eyes welling up.For Basu, the farewell doesn’t mean the celebrations are over. Preparations for the next puja will begin almost immediately, and a new countdown will begin. “Puja is everything for us. Even during Covid, the celebrations were smaller, but the puja continued. We never let it stop,” she said.The celebration is as much about the community as it is about the goddess. Families return year after year, children grow up participating in the rituals, and traditions are passed down through generations. For many, the annual gathering is a reminder of home, even for those who have spent much of their lives in Delhi.For Mansi, who works in marketing, it’s the “best time of the year”. Maa Durga’s arrival brings “a feeling unlike any other”, and the final day is a mixture of happiness and sadness.The morning begins with the last puja and pratima baran, the ritual farewell to the idol. Devotees offer their final prayers, while women apply sindoor to the goddess and to one another, and some to their daughters, turning a customary farewell into a deeply personal moment.The mood then slightly shifts. The dhak beats invite people to dance, while devotees fold their hands for one last pranaam. Calls of “Bolo Durga Mai ki jai” rise above the crowd as the idol is prepared to leave the pandal.At the immersion ground near Nehru Place, the farewell takes on a different energy. The idols arrive amid the sound of dhaks, with devotees dancing and accompanying Maa Durga on her final journey. There is movement, music and collective excitement, but the sadness is visible on faces that moments earlier were smiling.For some, the tears come during the final prayers; for others, they arrive when the idol is lifted and carried away. The goddess who had occupied the centre of their lives for days is now leaving, and the pandal will soon be quiet.Yet, for devotees, the goodbye is never permanent. The day after immersion, the wait begins again. “The next puja may be months away, but preparations — in thoughts, conversations, and community life — have already begun,” said Basu.The last tika, the final dance, the last selfie and the final aarti leaves people emotional. For some, it’s like bidding farewell to a beloved daughter. After days of love, devotion and celebration, the pandals will fall silent, the decorations will be removed and people will return to their usual routines, carrying memories of the festivities until Maa Durga returns next year.