Close X
Sunday, November 24, 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

    Narendra Modi Gave Message On Terror To Pakistan Loud And Clear: Donald Trump

    Trump also said that he hopes a trade deal with India would be on the table soon.  

    Narendra Modi Gave Message On Terror To Pakistan Loud And Clear: Donald Trump

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Will Have To Answer For Kashmir Lies: Pak Minister Faisal Vawda

    Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has come under severe criticism for peddling lies about the support at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of 58 nations on the issue of Kashmir.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Will Have To Answer For Kashmir Lies: Pak Minister Faisal Vawda

    Nervous Or Religious? Imran Khan Counts Prayer Beads In Trump Meet

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was seen quietly counting prayer beads during the joint press conference with US President Donald Trump on Monday on the sidelines of the UNGA.

    Nervous Or Religious? Imran Khan Counts Prayer Beads In Trump Meet

    VIDEO Pakistan Army, ISI Trained Al Qaeda To Fight In Afghanistan: Imran Khan

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan acknowledged that his country's army and spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) trained Al Qaeda and other militant groups to fight in Afghanistan, and therefore there were always links with them because they had trained them.

    VIDEO Pakistan Army, ISI Trained Al Qaeda To Fight In Afghanistan: Imran Khan

    VIDEO: Trump Refers Modi As Father Of India, Compares PM To Elvis Presley At Bilateral Meet In New York

    Trump said: "My personal chemistry with PM Modi is as good as it can get.

    VIDEO: Trump Refers Modi As Father Of India, Compares PM To Elvis Presley At Bilateral Meet In New York

    Indian Airport Worker Deported, Fined Dh5,000 For Stealing Two Mangoes Worth Dh6 From Dubai Airport

    A United Arab Emirates (UAE) court has ordered the deportation of an Indian airport worker who was held for stealing two mangoes from the baggage of a passenger last year, a media report said.

    Indian Airport Worker Deported, Fined Dh5,000 For Stealing Two Mangoes Worth Dh6 From Dubai Airport