A file pic of a Bengali pandal in Mangaluru city
Sukumar Biswas, general secretary of the committee, said Mangaluru has around 300 Bengali families, with the community growing as more students arrive in the city for education. We serve prasad to around 400-500 people a day,” he said.
Away from the streets and neighbourhoods where Durga Puja is woven into everyday life in Bengal, the committee strives to recreate that atmosphere by bringing in people who know the festival’s customs, said Dolan Mukhopadhyay, media committee member of Sri Durga Puja Committee here. We follow the prescribed timings according to the ‘tithi’, which is why we bring the priest from Kolkata every year,” she said. Newcomers join us, enjoy the festival and experience the cultural atmosphere they miss back home,” Dolan said. Traditionally, the goddess’s mode of arrival and departure is associated with symbolic interpretations of the year ahead, she said.
Mangaluru: The priest travels from Kolkata, the artisan crafting Maa Durga’s idol comes from West Bengal, and so do the cook and the dhak player who beats the traditional drums. Even Ganga maati (soil from the Ganges) is brought in to begin making the idol. For the Sri Durga Puja Committee in Mangaluru, preserving Bengal’s biggest festival means recreating its traditions in the coastal city, year after year. “Everything comes from there. The festival also offers a sense of belonging to Bengalis living away from home besides drawing people from other communities. “Not only Bengalis, even Mangalureans gather and celebrate this mini Bengali gathering. This year, Maa Durga is believed to arrive on an elephant and return by boat. The effort to preserve Bengal’s traditions extends to food and rituals. A cook from Kolkata prepares delicacies, while women from the community prepare ‘bhog’ for the goddess. They also make traditional sweets, including laddus and coconut barfi. “This was a long journey. Initially, we started on a small scale, but things have changed and the population has grown. Now, it is on a huge scale. This year, the committee has invited Madusudhan Pal from Bardhaman, West Bengal, to make the idols.
The committee will celebrate its 43rd Durga Puja from Oct 15 to 21 at Hindi Prachar Bhavan, Lalbagh. The festivities begin with Panchami on Oct 15 and will conclude with visarjan on Dashami near Sulthan Battery. Stay updated with the latest Mangaluru news.
The celebrations also feature Bengali folk dance, a Dhunuchi dance competition, garba and dandiya, besides competitions in Ulu Dhwani and Shankha Dhwani. A drawing competition will be held for children. The committee also performs Lakshmi Puja, Kali Mata Puja and Saraswati Puja as part of its efforts to sustain Bengali religious and cultural traditions in the coastal city. Download the TOI App.