Kali puja brings a slice of Bengal to Hyderabad

Kali puja brings a slice of Bengal to Hyderabad

“We no longer consider Hyderabad a home away from home. This is home,” said Dhrubajyoti Chakraborty as he joined in the festive revelry of Kali puja in Ameerpet. As the diyas were lit, sweets were exchanged and crackers went off; a section of Hyderabad celebrated puja on Sunday.

“Every year we attempt to make puja celebrations with grander as this club and all of its festivities are a safe haven for Bengalis living away from home who yearn to feel the same enthusiasm. We encourage our people to pitch in with funding and performances, we also bring in performers from West Bengal – dancers, dhakis, singers, and jatra actors,” informed Dhrubajyoti Chakraborty, the writer and solo performer of the play Ratnakori Ramayan, which was showcased on Sunday night. Mr Chakraborty, a resident of Ameerpet, has been associated with Uttarayana for the past 22 years.

“Most of our food stalls have homemade Bengali food like fish fry, patishapta (crepes), phuchka (pani puri), roshogolla and much more,” he said.

The Sree Sree Kali Puja, organised by the 45-year-old group Uttarayan, a non-profit Bengali cultural public association at M.C.H grounds, Ameerpet, saw footfalls of over 5,000 devotees praying at the puja pandal, performing in the elaborate four-day-long cultural fests, savouring authentic Bengali delicacies and interacting with their community members. 

The Sree Sree Kali Puja, organised by the 58-year-old association Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha at Keyes High School in Secunderabad, had a bigger turnout with 10,000 devotees thronging the grounds as this year’s festivities were extended by three days from November 11 to 13 with cultural performances and several stalls selling food, handicrafts, jewellery. 

“This club was started by railway employees from Bengal staying in Secunderabad in 1965. Today it hosts one of the bigger Durga puja festivities in south India. Kali Puja, which is as significant an occasion for us, was earlier observed for only one night, however, this year it was held across three days as we aim to be a space for warmth and familiarity for those away from home,” Atin Chaudhuri, organiser of Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha told The Hindu. 

Kali puja events were also organised by Prabashi Socio-Cultural Association at Saptapadi Function Hall in  Nizampet, Hyderabad Kalibari in Secunderabad with musical performances by singer Kumar Sanjoy, and Bharat Sevashram Sangha on Lower Tank Bund Road, among others. The festivities were marked by the sound of dhaak (drums), the aroma of dhunuchi (smoke from frankincense), and an abundance of men and women turning up in traditional dhakai sarees and dhuti-panjabi.