After more than two years of isolation, festivals are back with a bang. For the Bengali community in Victoria, it is truly gratifying to be celebrating Durga Puja in-person. A sign of a social and economic recovery post pandemic, this year’s celebration will be more freewheeling than ever.
For Bengalis the world over, the Durga Puja is more than just a festival but an emotion and a time for togetherness. For five days, there are non-stop celebration marked by rituals, food, pandal hopping and musical and cultural evenings. It is hard not to feel that strange magic.
In Victoria, the first Durga Puja celebration took place in October 1989. It was a dream come true for Bengali families at the time who had arrived by the 1970s.
Initially, the community started celebrating Saraswati (Goddess of learning) puja. Asim Das, who himself arrived in 1978, says, “There were around 30-40 families at the time spread all over Melbourne. There were professionals and students in universities who started celebrating Saraswati puja.”
But somehow the community felt something was still missing. So, they started celebrating Bijoya Sammelani, the tenth day of Durga Puja celebrations. “We would have the kolakuli (mutual embracing, warm greeting), visiting homes and sharing sweets.”
There is strength in numbers. As the number of Bengali families began to grow, Das felt the time was right to start a Bengali association. “Two is a company, three is a crowd, four is a Bengali association,” he says with a laugh. So in 1983, during the Bijoya Sammelani celebration, the community decided to form an association. Thus was born the Bengali Association of Victoria (BAV) in 1984.
Das, one of the founding members of BAV, was instrumental in getting the Durga Protima (idol) from India in 1989 for the first pujas in Melbourne. He acknowledges the help of Naresh Chandra Roy from Kolkata, who made it possible.
Naresh Chandra Roy had come to Melbourne in 1989 to have his daughter treated for an acute medical condition. The Bengali community here provided in-kind support and financial assistance when and where required, says Das. And when Das told Chandra Roy about plans to bring a Protima from Kolkata, he provided all assistance.
Interestingly, BAV got a new Durga Protima early in 2020 which was unopened for two years due to the pandemic. This year, Melburnians will have the privilege of praying before a new protima—significant in many ways.
Since 2004, there are other Durga pujas being organised around Melbourne. For BAV, one of the oldest Bengali associations, this year’s Durga pujas celebration is an emotional return to old times. Surashmi Chatterjee, current president, says the festival will kick off on 25 September with Mahalaya Meet and Greet event. “We will showcase a slice of Kolkata with an exhibition cum mela experience with food, merchandise and lots more,” she says.
For three days beginning 30 September, there will be pujas. “Saptami Ashtami pujas will start at 10 am, prasad and bhog lunch will be organised on 1 October,” says Chatterjee.
The other highlight is the cultural musical evenings with performances to shake and stir. There will be tributes to the late musical greats RD Burman and Lata Mangeshkar on 1 October, dance drama and a local band playing numbers. The next evening will witness Sindoor khela (where women pray for long and happy married lives), and Dhunuchi naach, a dance that is performed during the evening aarti where the dancers balance clay bowls filled up with coconut husks, burning charcoal and powdered incense in both their hands and mouth.
While COVID protocols are no longer applicable, Chatterjee says there will be sanitisers and masks provided at the venue.
For Pritom Dutta and family, this Durga pujas is akin to life coming back to normalcy. “We are looking forward to celebrating and meeting friends. My wife is taking part in the dance drama, and this is the biggest happening festival,” he says.
As a collective, the enthusiastic response to the events is heart-warming, says Chatterjee. “It feels quite satisfying to note that despite the threats of the pandemic and its various waves, despite cancellation and postponement of scheduled events in the past, we managed to stay in touch as a community using the digital medium.”
This Durga pujas will definitely be nourishing for the community as it does away with digital rituals and meets.
For full details of Durga Puja celebrations, click here
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