Durga Puja held for last 9 decades

Berhampur: The Bengali diaspora in Berhampur is celebrating Durga Puja in their traditional way for the last 91 years.

Bengalis introduced Durga Puja for the first time in Berhampur in 1933 under the banner of ‘Bangiya Samitee’. The first Durga Puja here was started by some Bengali employees working in the then Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR) at Berhampur railway station area in Hillpatna. However, a permanent new pandal was constructed at Chatterjee lane, near Old Bus Stand, 65 years later to celebrate Durga Puja and other rituals since 1998.

As the Bengali diaspora started the Durga Puja in Berhampur for the first time, they named it Adi (first) Durga Puja.

Durga Puja is an occasion for get-together of Bengali families residing in the Silk City. There are about 500 Bengali families in Berhampur now. They have kept alive the tradition of organising community Durga Puja here since the beginning. Married women apply ‘red sindoor’ on the Goddess and on one another which is called ‘Sindoor Khela’ on ‘Dasami’ and is even popular among the non-Bengalis here. It is stated to be symbolising fruitfulness, puja organisers said.

The Bengali diaspora have not alienated their culture from traditional Bengali drumming, from ‘Chandipatha,’ to offering of puja and veneration of the goddess. The priests, cooks and the artistes are hired from West Bengal. Small amount of the earthen soil is generally brought from the red-light area as a symbol and mixed with the earthen soil prepared to make the idol. Earlier, the idol was being transported from Kolkata to Berhampur. The Bengali diaspora also offers ‘Annaprasad’ to 500 devotees daily during these days. During the event, the divides of class, religion and ethnicities collapse as crowds of spectators walk to the pandal to admire the installations, tradition and rituals.