Celebration in Bengal

There are many ways in which Bengalis celebrate their favourite Durga Puja festival. Kids wait to wear their new cloths and run around their own apartment complex puja or parar pujo with their friends. They also want their parents to take them for some pandal hopping and treat with some delicious food and snacks. The youth and teens are more independent; they make their own pujo plans. Some of them just enjoy the pujo through long adda sessions, food, music, while others go for a tour far from the madding crowd. Young teenagers or older college-going groups also go for pandal hopping spending whole nights on the streets of Kolkata standing in long queues to get glimpses of celebrity puja pandals. Families also plan their get together or gather in the local pujas in Mahaasthami bhog bitaran (where everybody in the community enjoy a lunch together). Nearly the entire state of Bengal comes to a standstill during this festival. Kolkata alone has more than 2000 registered Durga pujas. While most of them put up simple structures (pandals), many of them put up elaborate structures and pandals and sometimes the planning for them goes for the entire year. Talented artists and professionals choose interesting subjects (imaginary or historical or something related to current affairs) and demonstrate them through their pandals. As Kolkata puts up large number of highly creative pandals, this entails lots of dedication and hardwork. So for the members of these clubs, celebration means working hard to successfully create and manage a puja pandal. Many clubs arrange for cultural events which gets participation from local para members. Some people also enjoy the Kolkata pujos by watching Pujo Parikrama in television channels. One great move in the recent years has been from the NGOs of Kolkata who are making an attempt to provide some enjoyment to the street children. These kids are taken for pandal hopping. A similar move has also been made for elders of the society and for differently abled people.