It's 2 pm Thursday and the sun is wreaking a havoc. At one end of the NFD Circle, a huge pandal at the Ahmedabad Education Society (AES) Ground and the soothing music emanating out of it is drawing the attention of people.

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As you approach towards the pandal, one can identify the voice of singer Somlata Acharya, known for her skills in Rabindrasangeet, blaring through the speakers, a hint that something fishy (not literally but a reference to the fish-loving Bengali population) is happening inside.

And as you enter the pandal, there stands Maa Durga, with the mortals dressed in Kurta-Pajama and sarees. The 3000-plus crowd at the Bengali Cultural Association's (BCA) pandal is waiting for its turn to savour the bhog, comprising khichuri, mixed vegetable curry, fruit chutney, papad, and payesh or kheer. The platter is not just a hit among the Bengalis, but also among the non-Bengalis.

With phrases such as 'Chole aay…bhog er line e dariye achi…ar koto deri' and 'saree ta darun hoyeche' piercing your ears, five minutes into the BCA's puja pandal and you feel like you are in Kolkata. It's a feeling of home away from home.

In the words of BCA's general secretary Kanak Das Adhikary: "Our Durga Puja is the oldest and largest in Gujarat. We certainly do not match the scale of Durga Pujas organised in Kolkata, but what we offer is a platform for the Bengali community to come together and celebrate a festival which is close to their heart".

Adhikary pointed out that Ahmedabad has a considerable Bengali population of around 2 lakh and BCA started the Durga Puja celebrations 81 years back to cater to the Bengali as well as the non-Bengali community.

"One will be surprised to know that 40 per cent of the daily footfall of 20,000-25,000 is of non-Bengalis who come dressed in traditional Bengali attire, offer prayers to the deity, and enjoy the bhog as any Bengali would," he added.

Chandkheda Bengal Cultural Association's general secretary Goutam Lahiri shares a similar view. Lahiri, whose association organises another major Durga Puja in the city, said: "We do not have the financial resources to organise theme puja and add all that glitz of a Kolkata Puja Pandal, but we as a community enjoy the feeling of providing a platform to people to enjoy Durga Puja and the revelry associated with it. Every year, the footfall is increasing and there is a growing popularity of the Bengali delicacies offered at our food court. This is our real achievement."

Certainly, food is an integral part of any Bengali celebration and as I started to leave the BCA venue post savouring the bhog, the scorching sun returned and the Durga Puja feeling slowly faded away. However, what remained with me were the short but sweet memories of home away from home.

The celebrations end with sindoor khela on Friday and the Bengalis bid a teary farewell to Maa Durga.