A time to come together

Legend has it that Goddess Durga visits her baper badi every year, where she is fully pampered. On the last day she is given a fond and tearful farewell. Bengalis all over the country keep up this tradition andu00a0 celebrate the festival with full pomp.

"My father came to Pune in 1968 to take up a job here and soon moved to set up his own business," said Deepankar Basu, vice-president of Bengal Association. "He got associated with a Bengal Association as founder-president. It started off by putting the pandal near Rahul Cinema and then moved on to Modern College. Now it is at Sidhi Gardens near Mahtre Bridge. My mother is also involved. She handles the rituals associated with the pujo."u00a0

Deepankar's wife Debarati is a Rabindrasangeet singer and involved in the cultural activities as cultural secretary. Debaratiu00a0 said: "We brought the Bengali culture to Pune and started a group called Kolkata Nostalgia.
They brought singer Srikanta Acharya to sing here."u00a0

She teaches small children whose both parents may not be Bengalis. "Seeing them pick up the language, and develop a feel for Bengali music, is truly a rewarding experience for me," she said.u00a0

Debarati said: "This puja association is like a ghar ka puja, which we enjoy with our extended family."

Another family, the Munshis are also settled in the city for many years. "My father-in-law came to Pune in the 50s for work when there were very few Bengalis around. Soon they got together and formed the association ufffd Bangiya Sanskriti Sansad that is today in Congress Bhavan. For a long time there was only one puja in Pune," said Ratna Munshi. "We eat food in the pandal and in the evenings we enjoy the cultural programmes."

Ratna said: "My husband Sandeep also spends time with the community. Pujo is not just a four-day happening. For us, it's a three-month affair. We start rehearsals in June," she said.