Memoirs of Durga Puja at Mini Kolkata-Chittaranjan Park, Delhi
Delhi-
a city of joy, fun, freedom and danger, sets stage for one of the best
experiences and some of the most cherished memories associated with not just the
people there but also the traditional Bengali culture to which we belong. This
amazing city holds the potential to give a taste of our own Durga Puja which can
touch the very depths of anyone’s heart in a way no less than experiencing the
grandeur of Durga Puja in our own city Kolkata.
The
hub of Bengalis and thriving Bengali culture in Delhi with the highest population
of resident Bengalis is Chittaranjan Park,
nicknamed CR Park. This locality has
everything that we Bengalis need to survive, a massive fish market with the
best fishes in the city, shops selling Kasundi,
Shorsher Tel (mustard oil) &
Posto (poppy seeds), a massive
Kaali Mandir (Goddess Kali’s Temple), kiosks selling rolls and Mughlai food and
what not.... It is no wonder that the locality is termed as ‘Mini Kolkata’.
Among
all these attractions, the most engulfing attraction is Durga Puja, which is
celebrated with the same zeal and enthusiasm as it is done in Kolkata. During
this period, CR Park and Kolkata become mirror images of one another. This is a
description based on the experiences of a Bengali group, who had newly moved to
Delhi and had seen the celebrations of Durga Puja in both the cities. Durga
Puja in CR Park, Delhi is a much awaited festival as much as it is in Kolkata.
During this period a rainbow of cultures come together at Chittaranjan Park
just to experience the Bengali Durgotsav in a place outside its origin.
Bengalis,
who have experienced such integration of varied cultures, proudly claim to have
been a part of this beautiful blend in a place outside their home town.
Starting with the morning ‘Anjali’ on
Mahashashti to the Puja Parikrama (pandal hopping) on Mahavami, Bengalis replay their entire
Puja experience of Kolkata in Delhi itself. What is even more astonishing is
that the concept of ‘paraar pujo’ is
not alien to Delhite Benagalis.
The
New Bengali group in Delhi got a little worried and felt home sick on the
auspicious day of Mahashtami, as they
were unaware of how and where to offer their prayers to the Goddess of Power. Sooner
than later they realised that there were at least 4-5 Idols in and around the
locality, namely Saket. They were overjoyed with this discovery and overwhelmed
with the fact that they could offer prayers to the goddess at a Pandal close to
their residence, as is common in Kolkata. The same evening they proceeded to CR
Park, for Pandal hopping and were shocked to see the turnout. It was a scene
beyond their expectations-extreme traffic, hoards of dressed up people,
Bengalis, Punjabis, Tamilians, Gujaratis all alike, roll and phuchka kiosks....uffff. Nothing seemed
different from their own Kolkata and since the appetite for their culture was
not satisfied, they went for Pandal Hopping again on Mahanavami. On that day the crowd was even larger and the traffic was
even worse than the day prior to that as it was the last day of this great
festival.
Next
morning on Dashami, it was announced in
the newspapers that the turnout of pandal hoppers at CR Park was even more than
1 crore. Above everything else, what these numbers say is that our very own
Durga Puja is not only a part of our precious Bengali culture but it is
residing in the hearts of people from varied cultures and backgrounds in
different cities across India. Maa Durga has the “power” to bring together all
the cultures, a diversity and difference created by mankind.
