Bengali cotton to Greek architecture, Durga Puja venues at a glance

Durga Puja begins on Friday and Bengali associations are adding final touches to the five-day festivities they are planning across the city. Like every year, promoting art and culture is central to these celebrations.

Doll decor

Baro maser tero parbon is the theme of the decor at ‘Sarbojonin Durgostav’ puja by The Bengalee Association Bangalore at Halasuru. It translates to 12 months, 13 festivals. “We are decorating the venue with dolls that depict scenes from 13 festivals in Bengal. These dolls are inspired by the wooden dolls from Purulia and Bardhaman regions. But we are repurposing these dolls from cardboard boxes,” shares executive committee member Dattatreya Ghosh. Look up bengaleeassociation on Facebook for the schedule

Reviving Lippan

At ‘Durgotsav 2023’ in Nagawara, the puja stage will be adorned with lippan art, a mural craft from the Kutch region of Gujarat. Here, mirrors, beads and colours are applied to clay to create beautiful patterns. The organisers at Bengaluru Durga Puja Committee are also promoting jatra, a dwindling street theatre format from Bengal, this year. “We will stage a jatra on sita haran (kidnapping of Sita) on saptami (October 21),” shares Sourav Kumar Dutta, secretary. For details, visit 
bengalurudurgapuja.in

Hail handloom

‘Durga Puja 2023’ in J P Nagar is an ode to the handloom cotton traditions of West Bengal. “The tapestry will feature Shantipur-Nadia cottons,” says Arnab Mukhopadhyay, president, Sanskritik Cultural Association. Nine forms of Durga will find expression in both the decor as well as a Kathak dance recital. Look up sanskritik.org

Bengali art

The decor at this Koramangala event is a fusion of Chhau masks and the Pingla art of drawing vivid scenes with rice flour, both from West Bengal. The organisers of Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust will also hold a tribute concert for Bollywood singer KK, who died after performing a concert in Kolkata, on October 22. Details on sarathionline.org

Old v/s new

Can tradition co-exist with modernity? That’s the theme of ‘Durgotsav 2023’ by Jayamahal Cultural Association. Expect two stages at Jayamahal Ladies Club, the venue. One stage will have an installation of a globe embedded with a digital screen — to depict how Durga Puja has evolved since the 1600s. A mini Gateway of India will be erected on the second stage alongside idols of Durga and powerful female figures from history, such as warrior queen Rani Chennamma from Karnataka, Kadambini Bose Ganguly, the first Indian woman to practice modern medicine, and women who led the Chipko movement. Details on jayamahal.org

Ode to Udupi

The ‘Durgatsab 2023’ pandal set up beside a school on Sarjapur Road is inspired by Sri Indrani Panchadurga Parameshwari Temple in Udupi. The puja stage will have five idols of Durga instead of one, shares a member from Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Bengali Association. To celebrate the theme of unity in diversity further, the customary dhunuchi dance will be performed on the beats of the Bengali dhaak and Chenda from Kerala. Both are percussion instruments. Visit sorrba.org

Greek vibes

This pandal off Sarjapur Road is a blend of Greek and Bengali aesthetics and is put together by artists from Karnataka, says Priyanka Sinha Roy, media and publicity head of Barsha, a Bengali association for the residents of Sarjapur and HSR Layout. It will feature a white facade with tall columns and the interiors will be done up with red fabric and chandeliers. A laser show is a big attraction. She says, “In the night sky, we will project a video from the launch of Chandrayaan-3. We will also project Shiva’s tandava (dance).” Visit barshabangalore.com

Assam in focus

Assam Association Bangalore will shine a light on their state’s many cultures at Shree Shree Durga Puja 2023 at a marriage hall in Domlur Layout. Women will walk the ramp draped in Assam’s GI-tagged muga silk fabric. A troupe will perform the state’s classical dance Sattriya. Assamese food such as tilor pitha (glutinous rice wrappers with a sweet sesame filling), gomor laddoo (made from edible gum), and jolpan (a popular breakfast platter) will be available all day. A book exhibition will feature 1,500 titles, a majority of them in Assam. Follow assamassociationbangalore on Instagram