PHOTOS: Pranab Mukherjee's Durga Puja at ancestral home

Away from the political chaos in New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is celebrating the Durga Puja at his ancestral home in Miriti village of West Bengal's Birbhum district.

For Mukherjee, who makes it a point to be at Miriti village every year to take part in the four-day rituals, the puja has a 'social dimension'. "I want to avail of this opportunity to be with the people of my area," he said.

Rediff.com takes you through the Finance Minister's Durga Puja celebrations.

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Talking to media persons, the 77-year-old Congress leader said: "This is a much-awaited occasion in my life and I eagerly wait throughout the year to be at our ancestral house these four days."

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Dressed in a 'dhoti' and an 'uttoriyo', a traditional scarf, Mukherjee performed Durga Puja rituals.

Family sources said that at the Miriti house, the Union minister's grandfather Jangaleswar Mukherjee had introduced Durga puja, which entered its 117th year.

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Mukherjee's steps were measured on Monday, Saptami, when he walked towards a canal carrying a bamboo plankton (kalabou), chanting 'mantras.

Accompanied by his son Abhijit Mukherjee, Congress MLA, the finance minister himself walked upto a canal of Kueye river for the formal bathing of the 'Kalabou' to mark the formal beginning of the 4-day Durga puja.

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After performing the aarti (prayers), much like a professional priest, Mukherjee interacted with relatives and media alike.

When asked if he had ever skipped the festivities, he said: "I hardly missed the opportunity to be at Miriti to attend the puja, except in 1995 when I represented India at UN General Assembly and two or three times due to political reasons."

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Mukherjee's son Abhijit played an active part in the festivities, looking after the arrangements during the occasion.

The union minister's sister Annyapurna Banerjee said: "Despite holding several prime positions in the central cabinet, he never chooses to stay away from offering puja to goddess Durga here."

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Security measures were in place at the ancestral house of the Mukherjees and metal detectors put up at the main entrance.

But cops didn't prevent hundreds of villagers from joining the celebrations and lunch at the Mukherjee residence.

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