Global Popularity of Durga Puja: From Europe to USA

All those who will be in Europe need not worry about missing out Durga Puja. Bengali communities in the European cities organize Durga Puja festival with much fanfare – be it London, Scotland, Copenhagen or Paris. In London, London Durga Puja Dusserrah Association have been organizing the gala at the Hampstead Town Hall, Belsize Park since 1963. In Scotland, we have Bangiya Sanskritik Parishad, which at Glasgow celebrates Durga Puja. This continues since 1981. Durga Puja is organized in a grand manner with the help of prosperous Asian communities and their own fraternity. The Durga Puja in London also attracts communities from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Germany. They celebrate the tradition with spectacular cultural programmes presented by young and old artists invited from India, especially Kolkata.

Even to see puja in Netherlands one can take a four-hour ride on Eurostar from London and in Voorschoten , the Kallol, Indian Bengali Association celebrates Durga Puja . For the last eight years this celebration has been going on and the organizers enjoy the fun of pure adda on the puja days. Berlin does not lag far behind as it is organizing its 44th Durgotsav in 2022. Puja at Copenhagen is full of cultural events and they bring together the Bengali Community in the far north.

While in Pakistan or Iran, Durga puja is an optional holiday, in the USA people celebrate Durgapuja at the weekend. Fortunately this year Puja days begin on Saturday and Sunday , people in America are happy to organized Durga Puja especially in New York, Virginia , New Jersey. The Hindu Temple Society of North America is a religious non-profit institution established on January 26, 1977. It's the very first traditional Hindu Temple functioning in the USA.

In New York, Durga Puja is celebrated on different days. East Coast Durga Puja Association Queens, was the first organizer of Durga Puja in New York, established in 1970. It's a non-profit organization located in the borough of Queens. It aims to promote the Bengali and Indian traditions in the U.S. Initially, and it involved only about 100-200 Bengali inhabitants. The number has now crossed a few thousand, including Indian and Bangladeshi Bengalis.From Ashtami Anjali to Kumari puja, all the rituals and customs are done in an authentic Bengali way. The members and visitors get involved in the festivities for three consecutive days. Dinner arrangements in the form of Bhog are made for all three days. Cultural events are prepared. Performances by artists entertain the crowd in the evening.

The Durga temple at Virginia was the first temple of Bhagwati Durgaji built in the USA This temple is the place of worship for all Hindus residing in America. But all Americans are welcome to the temple. The temple focuses in youth and local community and holds a number of educational and community outreach programmes. It collaborates with institutions of other faiths in promoting peace and unity. Money raised here helps the Durga Temple to develop and launch more programs promoting Hindu Heritage and culture abroad. The deities in this temple include Durgaji, Shiv-Parivar, Shri Radha-Krishna, Ram darbar, Hanumanji, Lakshmi-Narayanji, Balaji, Shri Mahavirji, Shri Jhulelalji, Shri Shridi Saibaba and Maa Santoshi. The priests provide religious services at the temple and outside locations. All major Hindu festivals are celebrated. The temple holds a variety of educational cultural activities.

Sanskriti of Buffalo is a non-profit cultural association in New York propagating Bengali culture through numerous events. The inception of this organization was through Saraswati Puja in 1974-75, up until 1985. This USA club was only involved in strengthening the community and organizing smaller events. The first major event was the celebration of Durga Puja in 1986. With it, they also started a yearly magazine named Pratibha. The organization mainly aims to instil the Indian culture and heritage within the Indians living far from their homeland. This NY Durga Puja celebration is accompanied by many cultural events spread across all three days. In the Bijoya Sammilani, an evening filled with dances and songs to celebrate the aftermath of the festivities. Indian artists have graced their stages like Bhupen Hazarika, Purna Das Baul, and many more.

New York Kali Mandir at Baldwin is a Hindu religious establishment working as a non-profit organization in Baldwin, New York City. It was initially a Goddess Kali temple on the impression of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple of Kolkata. Soon after, idols of other Hindu Gods and Goddesses were also established.The association follows the traditional way of Durga Puja. Kali Mandir opens gates for visitors from Sashthi, and the worship continues for five days. Bangladesh Hindu Mandir Flushing, at Elmhurst, Queens, Founded and run by the Bangladeshi Hindus. The vast Temple of 9,000 sq. ft is a beautiful architectural sight to see. It's even furnished with a centralized sound system where the mantras echo. To promote the Hindu culture among the children, the organization also takes weekly Sunday classes within its premises. The Mandir is open every day from 9:00am – 1:00pm and 4:00pm – 8:00pm.Prasad or Bhog is served to all in attendance. Cultural programs are also organized for evenings. Members along with local artists take part in the event.

Bangladesh Hindu Mandir, Inc.

New York Sarbojonin Durga Puja Committee, Franklin Square was founded in 1984 by ten Bengali families who settled in the U.S. The founder members envisioned spreading Indian values and traditions to their children and the forthcoming generations. The organization is also known as NYSDPC (New York Sarbojanin Durga Puja Committee). They invite both Indian and American artists for their evening cultural programs.Bangladesh Puja Samiti is a non-profit organization based in Sunnyside, New York. A group of Bangladeshi immigrants formed this Hindu religious association in 1989. They aim to celebrate Hindu culture and propagate it among the Hindus settled in the country. Their Durga Puja celebrations include delicious food and cultural events similar to Durga puja in Mumbai. Celebrations at Vedanta Society Belur Math at New York differ from any other Hindu organization in New York. Durga Puja is celebrated according to the Ramakrishna Mission's customs and is devoid of celebratory affairs or cultural events. The place is peaceful and has a serene atmosphere. It's an ideal place for praying. Devotees often mused about the sense of complacency they received from this place.

Thus we see Durga Puja is getting global popularity and this year after UNESCO declaring this festival a Heritage festival of Kolkata, it is getting more and more popularity all over the globe.

Dr.Ratan Bhattacharjee

Dr.Ratan Bhattacharjee , International Visiting Professor of USA is the writer of this article and may be reached at profratanbhattacharjee@gmail.com

Also Read: A peek at Richard Attenborough's cult classic 'Gandhi', on the Mahatma's birthday

Also Watch: