22-feet-tall Durga idol at the Durga Puja celebrations organised by Cyberabad Bengali Association at Kondapur
This way our children will understand our culture and heritage,” says Sumit Sen, president of HBS. Explaining the theme, ‘Bonedi’ (old Bengal), Sharmili Banerjee, cultural secretary of the Bengalee Cultural Association, Masab Tank, says, “We as a community should not forget our roots, and it is our responsibility to connect the next generation to them. This year, it is about connecting with the community, and we are keeping everything traditional,” says Christine Francis of TBCA. We want them to know how celebrations were when we were children and help them stay connected to our heritage,” she says. “Durga Puja celebrations across the city have nearly tripled in the past 10 years, and the scale keeps growing,” says priest Ashish Acharya.
The Hyderabad Bangalee Samity (HBS), Domalguda, has put up a pandal with fabric decorations for the first time, following a tradition seen in West Bengal. “It is important that we try to keep it as traditional as possible. Our heritage and traditions should outlive us. The Durga Puja celebrations organised by Hyderabad’s tech community are also growing in scale. “The ground is usually used for Ravan Dahan on the ninth day of Navaratri. So, we decided to include that in our festivities too. “We have organised all events keeping our children in mind.