[jyotirmoy]

Durga puja is drawing near. At community parks in Delhi large "pandals" are coming up. Pandals are like huge tents constructed in various themes like temples, palaces etc. When finished they look like the real thing in every detail & dimensions. Insides are again full of intricate design complete with chandeliers and brilliantly lit. These pandals take at least 2 to 3 weeks to construct. In the C.R. Park area alone 5 such Pujas are held. The Puja at the New Delhi Kali Bari near Birla temple & Kashmiri gate are the oldest.
The idol of Durga along with those of her sons & daughters; Laxmi, Saraswati, Ganesha & Kartik are placed on a dais. Ma Durga is worshipped for 4 days and on the 5th. day after morning Puja the is immersed in the Yamuna.
Through out these 4 days there are great festivities. Fairs & Melas are organized, rows & rows of food stalls selling all kinds of goodies like Moghlai Porota, Kasha Mangsho, Fish fry etc. At all venues cultural programs are organized in the night. Music groups, dance troupes from Kolkata regularly come to perform. Prasads(full meals) are distributed at these venues in the morning & night. Many families do not cook food at home for these 4 days.
Both children & adults wear new clothes, for children new shoes too. Parents often buy 4 sets of dress for the 4 festival days for their children. Ladies are decked out in all the finery & ornaments.
On the 5th. day the festival ends on a sad note. In the evening people visit their friends & relatives to exchange greetings and pay respect to elders. Visitors are treated with sweets & savories.
I have posted 2 pics of Puja in the "everything else" section in the gallery.

Attached Files

•  durga_puja_1.jpg   25.78K   23 downloads
•  durga_puja_2.jpg   25.35K   22 downloads

[Abhijit Sur]

Airlines cos are also adding flavour to it. Read it:

Koraishutir Kochuri, Chicken Keema Ghugni, Chholar Dal, Alur Dum and Mihidana for breakfast. Chingrir Malaikari, Kosha Mangsho and Bhetki Maccher Dum for lunch. Ghee Bhat, Phulkopir Dalna, Rui Maacher Kalia and Bedana-Amshottor Chutney for dinner.This Puja, dig into Bengali delicacies aboard flights or while waiting to check in at the airport.While the leading domestic carriers will serve Bengali cuisine on flights, some international airlines will greet passengers with mishti at the airport. Indian airline has planned a Bengali food festival from Saptami to Dashami. "As part of the festive bonanza, our flight kitchen will lay out a spread of quintessential Bengali food," said an airline official on Sunday. The food will even be served on banana leaf. "The vegetarian and non-vegetarian options have been carefully chosen to offer plenty of variety," he added. The menu card, which is designed to look like an aircraft and sports the new Indian logo, will feature favourites like Alur Chorchori, Dhokar Dalna and Malai Kofta Curry. Jolbhora Sandesh, Langcha and Mishti Doi will end the meal on a sweet note.Air Sahara will serve Bengali dinners on Calcutta-Delhi and Calcutta-Mumbai flights on Saptami evening. Ghee Bhat, Alu Posto, Dhokar Dalna, Kasha Mangsho, Chutney and Mishti Doi will be the menu.Jet Airways will be serve Bengali dishes on Northeast-bound flights from September 27 to 29. "The menu will be finalised in a day or two," stated an official. Among international carriers, Singapore Airlines has drawn up a plan to serve Bengali sweets to passengers at the airport. Rasogolla, Jolbhora Sandesh and Karapaker Sandesh will be served at the check-in counter, said a representative of the airline. Passengers are excited about the prospect of a Bengali bhoj above ground. "It is quite exciting to have Bengali cuisine on flights," said Roma Subnani, who is planning to take an Indian flight this weekend. "I love Bengali food and am looking forward to the trip."

[priya]

What a sumptuous array of food!!!  I think I'd fill up on the Mishti Doi and then go on a serious fast!!!

Somnath, where are you???

[Somnath]

priya, on Sep 27 2006, 04:45 PM, said:

What a sumptuous array of food!!!  I think I'd fill up on the Mishti Doi and then go on a serious fast!!!

Somnath, where are you???

Preparing Dhokla for you.  

[priya]

hehehe!!!!

ok, just for you I'll have the dhokla, just a small portion, and then go for the mishti doi, okay??   

(I'm not saying what I'll have in-between - that's too big a decision   )

[jyotirmoy]

Durga Puja ended with the immersion of Ma Durga in the Yamuna yesterday. The rush on the last evening that is Navami was unprecedented at C.R. Park. There were mile long queues to get in to the pandals. Security was enhanced everywhere. Food courts did roaring business.

Attached Files

•  Kababs.jpg   24.39K   16 downloads
•  Ma_Durga1.jpg   28.4K   15 downloads

[Abhijit Sur]

Glimpses of Kolkata Durga puja  park_circus.jpg   114.03K   18 downloads  mudiali1.jpg   53.5K   17 downloads

Attached Files

•  mudiali1.jpg   53.5K   10 downloads

Edited by Abhijit Sur, 04 October 2006 - 01:47 PM.

[iwanttogoback]

thanks for the photos guys, what amazingly intricate installations they are.

[jyotirmoy]

Durga Puja 2007 begins from tomorrow. Grand "Pandals" have come up all over Delhi. Today in many places the local Bengali resident ladies bring home cooked delicacies and sell at the Ananadmela fairs held at Puja pandals. This will continue till tomorrow. The height of festivity is on 19th and 20th.

[priya]

Will we be treated to more photos of Pandals and Puja for this year too?

[jyotirmoy]

priya, on Oct 16 2007, 10:24 AM, said:

Will we be treated to more photos of Pandals and Puja for this year too?

Yes if I can purloin my daughter's digital camera like I did last year.