While Kolkata has already started the Durga puja festivities from Sunday 28 September, London is going to celebrate it from Thursday 2nd October, with Mahashtami on Friday 3rd October.
Amongst the usual Durga Pujas by different organisations in and around London, London Sharad Utsav (LSU) has caught my eyes, specially as they are doing something very different this year.
For the 6th consecutive year held at the historic Ealing Town Hall in London, this year, LSU has reached out to various underprivileged sections of society, in India, and has now joined hands with several NGOs, in order that we can support them, in all possible ways, from this far away land.
Besides the beautiful, mesmerising deity put up on the central stage, traditional rituals including Shonndhi Puja, Kumari Puja, Pushpanjali, Shondhya Arati and many more, it is working in close collaboration with Banchbo Socio Cultural Association- an organisation dedicated to the health care, education and upliftment of the underprivileged and the weak. Based at Kolkata, they have activities spread across entire West Bengal, throughout the year. Their endeavours are mainly targeted towards children and senior citizens of the society.
During the pujas, Banchbo organises “Rating of Durga Puja” by underpriviledged children & senior citizens, by taking them to various pandals in the illuminated city.
LSU also believes that the Durga Puja of Kolkata, has a huge tourism potential, globally. In their bid to promote that, they have now joined them in rating the pujas as “Probashir Chokhhe Shera Pujo”, by sending our “Pujoy Kolkata” bound friends, to the pandals there. This is open to all those who are going to Kolkata during the Pujas. Hopefully, in years to come, this will become a major attraction for NRIs visiting India.
In association with Banchbo, this year LSU is also presenting the classic Panchamatrika Aradhana—an initiative to raise awareness about the diversity of religion in India. This comprises identifying 4 akin deities of the goddess, prayed at various communities with the theme “Goddess Like Durga”. LSU has got 4 patachitra paintings of the goddess for display and worship during the Pujas. At the end of the Pujas, they will auction off the pictures, with the proceeds going to Baanchbo.
They have also partnered with Sabuj Sangha—again another NGO that focuses on the health care and nutrition of the economically challenged residents of extreme remote areas in the Sunderban district of West Bengal and are pleased to announce the sponsorship of the overhead cost of providing infrastructure and resources, for a nutritional care workshop, which will be conducted by two eminent nutritionists from The Society of Nutrition and Dietetics—Calcutta.
Visit Durga Utsav by LSU- 2nd October, 2014 to 5th October, 2014, at Ealing Town Hall, Ealing Broadway, London-W5 2BY.
