Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
International

UK Soaks In Durga Puja Fervour, Pandal Set Up in Berkshire County

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Oct, 2019 08:58 PM

    A sprawling Durga puja pandal set up in a cricket ground in Britain's Slough town has recreated the ambience of Kolkata's crowd-pulling Maddox Square, as the five-day festival commenced on Friday in different parts of the UK.


    The pandal at the cricket ground in Slough, a town in Berkshire county, is quite unprecedented in the UK as the pujas in the country usually take place in community halls or hotels and not in an open ground, said Prasenjit Bhattacharjee of Adda, an organisation of expatriate Bengalis which is organising the puja.


    The pandal is of 110 ft x 70 ft x 25 ft size and adorned with handicrafts of different states like Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha, Gujarat, apart from West Bengal.


    To add more to the ambience of Maddox Square and other Kolkata pujas like Baghbazar Sarbojonin and Park Circus Sarbojonin, an exclusive Kolkata food court has been set up on the Slough ground where visitors can savour Kolkata "phuchka", "bhetki machher chop", "vegetable chop", chicken/mutton/egg roll and biryani cooked in Kolkata style, Mr Bhattacharjee said.


    A spokesman of Maddox Square Puja in Kolkata said, "We are happy that some of our friends, living in the UK, are bringing the ambience of Maddox Square in their puja at Slough. This shows our puja has become a brand."


    The Durga puja celebrations are also being held in other parts of the UK with different themes.


    London Durgotsav Committee in north London has a theme entitled "Your Durga, My Durga" based on a poem written by writer Subrata Paul.


    "The theme emphasizes the grit and harshness women face, especially in the Indian society, and paints a stark, contrasting picture of the colour, pomp and glitter that is seen during a festival," says Mainak Roy, Trustee of London Durgotsav Committee.


    The idols for the puja celebrations at Swiss Cottage Library in London are made by sculptor Pradyut Pal and shipped from Kumortuli in West Bengal. The fibre glass idols are designed to retain all the traditional aesthetics of Durga idols in India.


    The charity aims to support organisations in India through its events, including the Ragpickers Association in Kolkata.


    The London Borough of Camden, which hosts the festivities annually, expects thousands to turnout during the course of the devotional events until mid next week.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Imran Khan Assures Multiple, On-Arrival Visas For Sikh Pilgrims

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that his government would issue multiple and on-arrival visas to Sikh pilgrims coming from India and abroad and provide them maximum possible facilities during their visit to the holy sites.  

    Imran Khan Assures Multiple, On-Arrival Visas For Sikh Pilgrims

    VIDEO: Pakistan Minister's 'Targeted Smart Bomb' Remark Triggers Laugh Riot

    He fuels laughter on the social media and he is back at it. The statements by the Pakistan’s Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on his country possessing ‘smart bombs that target Hindus only’ had literally bombed the Internet with laughter.

    VIDEO: Pakistan Minister's 'Targeted Smart Bomb' Remark Triggers Laugh Riot

    Tough To Prove 'Kashmir Genocide' Claim: Pakistan International Court Of Justice Lawyer

    Qureshi has said, "in absence of these evidences, it is extremely difficult for Pakistan to take this case to the ICJ".    

    Tough To Prove 'Kashmir Genocide' Claim: Pakistan International Court Of Justice Lawyer

    Converted Pakistan Sikh Girl Jagjit Kaur Not Produced In Court Due To Security Issues

    The teenage Sikh girl, who was allegedly abducted and converted to Islam before being married to a Muslim man in Pakistan's Punjab province, could not be produced before a special judicial magistrate on Monday due to security issues, according to a court official.  

    Converted Pakistan Sikh Girl Jagjit Kaur Not Produced In Court Due To Security Issues

    21-Year-Old Arrested For Stabbing California Man 64-Yr-Old Sikh Man Parmjit Singh

    The police in the US state of California have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 64-year-old Sikh grandfather from India, authorities said on Sunday.

    21-Year-Old Arrested For Stabbing California Man 64-Yr-Old Sikh Man Parmjit Singh

    Trump Nominates Indian-American Shireen Mathews To Federal Judgeship

    US President Donald Trump has nominated Shireen Mathews, an Indian-American lawyer, to be a federal judge.

    Trump Nominates Indian-American Shireen Mathews To Federal Judgeship