Durga Puja Celebration in Delhi

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.

Durgapuja in Rishikesh

Durgapuja in Rishikesh, Uttaranchal

Durga Puja 2013

Durga Puja 2013, Dates

Durga Puja 2006

 

Laketown Natun Pally Pradeep Sangha

Sharadiya or Pujabarshiki

Sharadiya is the pioneer portal which has single handedly attempted to restore the old magazines of Bengal.
The 70s’ of Bengal, popularly known the era of Bengal’s revolution, also witnessed an emergence of young minds, authors and poets. The college street area, the coffee house tables and canteens of both Presidency College and the Calcutta University saw a surge of young guns writing pamphlets and little magazines which got published in puja magazines like Anandamela, Sharadiya from Ananda publishers and many more. The strong write ups in Bengali inspired people from all languages to write constituting a small yet vibrant literary meet in Bengal. Those writings with time has lost its importance and gone into oblivion. Sharadiya attempts to preserve those writings in their original form so that the forth coming generations of Bengal are not forbidden from the reading and experiencing these great creations of Bengal.

Durga Puja brings with itself joy, laughter and merriment for the year. Puja is the time for new dresses, delicious food, new music releases and Puja Barshiki. The books released during the festive season have become an indispensable part of our lives. Children, the young and the old are all fond of these magazines. Eminent publishing houses come out with special editions with numerous exciting stories. Puja Barshiki has interesting articles, novels and short stories from well-known authors.
Some popular Puja barshiki or Sharadiya puja Sankhya are Pujabarshiki Anandamela, Shuktara, Desh, Sharadiya Anandabazar Patrika, Sananda, Nabakallol, Bartaman, Sharadiya Patrika, Pujabarshiki Anandalok, Sharadiya Bhraman, Kishore Bharati etc.

Cover photo of Various Sharadiya or Puja Barshiki issue 

 Cover photo of Various Sharadiya or Puja Barshiki issue 

Durga Puja Celebration in Bangalore

Every year, as soon as the month of September / October arrives, it brings with it inevitable charm and joy that spreads fast through the minds of millions of Bengalis worldwide. Hearts dance to the rhythm of “Dhak” (Drum) and a feeling of blissful excitement runs through blood with a euphoric sense of “Maa Aschhen!” (Mother is Arriving!) Though Durga Puja is the biggest celebration of Bengalis and celebrated enormously in West Bengal and in Bangladesh, but over the decades it has crossed the geographical borders of Bengal and reached to the remote corners in the world. Actually wherever there is a presence of as little as ten to fifteen Bengalis, a Durga Puja has come up with passion and essence of festivities. 

J.P. Nagar South Bangalore Association - 2010

Ulsoor Bengali Association Puja - 2010

 Go anywhere in India and you will eventually meet up with at least a few Bengalis. And if you talk about big towns and cities, be assured that you can find from a few thousands to lakhs of them. Be it Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad, Bhopal or any other city, you will find the Bengalis celebrating “Durgotsav” during puja time, with same elan and enthusiasm that can be found in Bengal. The “garden city” of India, Bangalore, is no different! The city is inhabited by about a few lakhs of Bengalis and currently around forty Durga Pujas are celebrated across the city. I am one of those who spent eight long years in this city for professional responsibilities and never realized when I also became a part of cultures and traditions of the city, with maintaining a true “Bangaliyana” (Bengalee-ness). As far as different pujas are concerned in the city, these are spread from north to south and from east to west parts of Bangalore. Some of the famous community Durga pujas in Bangalore are: Ulsoor Bengali Association, J.P. Nagar South Bangalore Puja, K.R. Puram SEA College, Koramangala 6^th Block puja, R.T. Nagar Sarbajanin Durga Puja Samiti, Marathalli Puja committee etc. Some of the pujas can even compete with famous pujas in Kolkata, in terms of their budget and sheer size of arrangement. Cultural events such as dancing, singing, drama, theatre, kids’ special programme are held every evening. Not to forget, some of the Pujas who are more crowd-pullers in the lot are famous for inviting popular Bengali Bands like ParashPathar, Lokkhichhara, Bhoomi, Cactus etc, apart from bringing in star singers and vocal artists to perform every evening. And yes! The community feasts throughout all the four days of Puja, with indulgement for classic Bengali food in sumptuous lunch and dinners.

In my personal opinion, one of the best Durga Pujas organized in Bangalore is by “Indiranagar Cambridge Layout association”. The pandal is generally put up at a large ground near 80 Feet road at Indiranagar. A “Mela” is held every year containing inevitable stalls of famed Bengali catering houses and eateries, small scales food sellers and book publication agencies. On Saptami and Ashtami, the “Aarti session” and “Dhunuchi Naach competition” accompanying 4-5 dhaakis (Drum beaters) draw large crowd from various parts of the city. Another big subject of attention is the “Dandiyaa dancing session” on Nabami, marking the Navratri festival. Homely and traditional puja rituals, decorated pandals, serene idol, bhog distribution, cultural evenings – everything combine into a splendid five-days extravaganza loaded with Bangaliyana, which speaks of dedicated involvement, focused effort, and generous contributions from all visitors and Puja committee members. Dashami ends with usual and familiar scene of “Sindur Khela” and “Bisarjan” at Ulsoor Lake or in other big tanks of the city.

Durga Puja gives us, the people in other cities of India, a pain of “being apart from homeland” every year in autumn. But alongside the celebration provides a sense of “being in a home away from home” and a reason to rejoice once in a year amidst joy, cheerfulness and a proud feeling of being a Bengali.

 Dhunuchi Naach Session at Indiranagar Cambridge Layout puja - 2010

 After Aarti Durga Puja - 2010