Twitter
Advertisement

Bengal Club gets set for Durga Puja

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The Bengal Club is gearing up to celebrate Durga Puja – easily the biggest festival for Bengalis – with elaborate rituals, dancing and food at its Shivaji Park centre in central Mumbai.

The festivities commence on Sunday and will culminate on Dassera day (October 3), marking the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. The organisers expect close to 10 lakh devotees to participate in the celebrations over the six days.

It's also the signature event for the club, which has been organising the festivities for 79 years.

The main focus is on the morning and evening prayers, at which five dhakis (traditional drummers) who have been flown in from Kolkata will lead the music. It would provide the setting for the popular and fiercely contested dhunuchi dance and conch blowing competitions.

The youth will match steps on Saptami (October 1) and Navami (October 2) to the beat of the dhak, in obeisance to the goddess. An impromptu Garba involving the audience will happen on Panchami evening.

The decor of the puja pandal has always been a striking feature of the celebrations and this year it is planned to recreate the ambience of Kolkata's famed Kalighat temple.

The bhog, comprising Bengali khichdi and payesh, will be served on Saptami and Ashtami-Navami. The club has procured plates specially made from leaves of the sabudana tree for the bhog.

Bengali food, sweets, garments, textiles, handicrafts and other items will be on sale at the nearly 40 stalls on the exhibition ground around the mandap.

It's an occasion for a cross section of people to bond together which is at the core of most Indian festivities and it's what the club focuses on in all its activities through the year.

The club itself which was constituted in the 1920s to conduct charitable activities, was allotted land at the Shivaji Park in 1935 for a club house and a sports field. Since then its activities have grown by leaps and bounds.
Besides football and cricket for youth, the club organises various cultural events as well as health camps and also provides medical facilities.

Today, there is also a temple dedicated to Kaalimata here that has become a pilgrimage point for most Bengalis and many Mumbaikars, ensuring the blessings of the gods on the work undertaken at this centre.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement