Prologue:
The Bongs living outside Bengal are a nostalgic bunch. We miss the food, the music, the culture, and the people of our home city. We miss the smell of the spices in the air, the sound of the music coming from the temples, and the taste of the food from the street vendors. We miss the feeling of being surrounded by people who speak our language! But most of all, we miss the Durga Puja of home!
For Bengalis living outside of Bengal, Durga Puja is a reminder of all that they have lost. We long for the days when one could walk down the streets of Calcutta, during the most vibrant and grand festival of Kolkata!
Our family always go back home to celebrate the Durga Puja. It’s been always the ritual! However, due to some unforeseen reasons, we could not leave Bangalore during the Durga Puja. And we were emotionally broken, up to the core! The feeling of wanting but not being able to go home during this time of the year is brutal! Only a Bong could understand!
Though we didn’t stay here during this time, after living in Bangalore for more than 12 years we knew there were a good number of Pujas that happened around the city! So we decided to explore some of the famous ones by ourselves and publish a couple of “Pujo Porikrama Vlogs” on our channel!
Durga Puja of Bangalore!
The Bengali community in Bangalore is a large and vibrant one. There are many reasons why Bengalis have migrated to Bangalore, including job opportunities, education, and a better quality of life.
The large population of Bengalis (13 lahks as per census 2021) and people from other states of the eastern region like Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, resulted sizable number of Durga Pujas around Namma Bengaluru!
The first Durga Puja in the city started as early as 1948 by Bengali Association Bangalore followed by The Jayamahal Sarbajanin Durga Puja started in 1955.
Today there are 150 or more vibrant Puja around Bengaluru! Some are big-budget ones and could challenge the famous Durga Pujas of Kolkata! The pandals are beautifully decorated. But most importantly, the atmosphere is filled with joy and happiness. It’s a time for Bengalis to come together and celebrate their culture and heritage.
As decided we hopped from pandal to pandal! ( The only bummer was travelling from one spot to another through Bengaluru Traffic!) Nevertheless, we had an awesome time! Munched some of the famous street foods of Calcutta, took tons of pictures and watched performances of some of the renowned artists from Bengal!
Yeah, we Bongs are fond of music and culture! So cultural and musical events are part of the celebrations! Thus most of the Puja committees host such events! While the big-budget ones bring artists and performers from Kolkata or Mumbai, others use this opportunity to showcase their local talents! Whatever it is people enjoy it to the fullest and they have a good time! And so did we! This time we watched performances of two famous Bangla Bands, Cactuss ( yes that S is extra) and Fossils! They are my favourites and never had an opportunity to watch them live after leaving college!
We had very limited expectations at the beginning about the Pujo in Bangalore! But it did not fail to surprise us! In two days we could visit the following Puja locations!
- Tripura Mondoli Bengaluru Durga Puja
- MANPOH Durgotsav
- OIKOTAN Hebbal Durga Puja
- RT Nagar Durga Puja
- Jayamahal Bengaluru Durga Puja
- Bengalee Association of Bangalore Ulsoor Durga Puja
- Bengaluru Srehatta Sammelani Durgotsav
- Whitefield Cultural Association (WCA) Durga Puja
- East Bangalore Cultural Association (EBCA) Durga Puja
- Aarohan Durga Puja Whitefield
- SORRBA Bengaluru Durga Puja
- BARSHA Sarjapur Durga Puja
- Rainbow Cultural ( Electronic City) Durga Puja
- Electronic City Cultural Association (ECCA) Durga Puja
- Begur Bengali Cultural Association (BBCA) Durga Puja
- Kolaj Durga Puja Koramangala
- Bengali in Bangalore (BiNB) Durga Puja
It is not only the grandeur or scale of some Pandals, or the star performers! But the sheer joy, enthusiasm and spirit seen all around made us believe, “You can take a Bong away from home, but the Mother will follow”!
Here are the two episodes of our Durga Puja vlog! If you want to see the experience through our eyes and lens, feel free to watch these episodes!
What is coming this year?
We’re teaming up with Bong BHP to bring a list of must-visit Durga Pujas in Bangalore in 2023! With details like location, GPS pin, parking availability, nearby metro station and more! All information is sourced DIRECTLY from the organizers!
Do share with all Bongo-loreans you know!
https://theurbannomad.co.in/blog/bangalore-durga-puja-2023/
Now, if you’re part of a Durga Puja Organizing Committee and want your Puja to shine on our list, drop us an email at email@theurbannomad.co.in, with the following details
Puja Name:
Area (Choose from Bengaluru: East/West/North/South/Central)
Location Address:
Location GPS Pin:
Theme (if applicable) or Special Notes (within 500 characters):
Is the site reachable by Metro? If yes, what’s the nearest station?
Is managed parking available at the location?
Mention Date/Time/Artist Name for special events (if any):
Links to social media pages or website (if any):
To ensure efficient communication, please use the following subject line format in your email: “Bengaluru Durga Puja 2023 <Your Puja/Committee Name>”.
Team – The Urban Nomad
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