Kolkata hosted twin festivals on Tuesday - Diwali as well as the traditional worship of Goddess Kali.
Intrinsic to both is the bursting of firecrackers, though noise-producing crackers have been banned. As the skies fill with fireworks for Diwali tonight, Bengal will also begin the worship of Goddess Kali. She is the deity of destruction who is also a warrior goddess protecting mankind and the gods from demons and all that is evil.