Berhampur: The first Durga Puja started by the Bengali community of the silk city turned 93 this year, with the 500-odd community members once again coming together to celebrate their biggest annual festival, following all traditions and rituals.The Durga Puja was started by some Bengali employees of the then Bengal-Nagpur railway at the railway station area here in 1932, said members of the Adi Durga Puja Committee here.“As we started the puja in the city, we named it Adi (first) Durga Puja,” said Sarajit Sarkar, a community member.Deb Prakash Ganguli, president of the Adi Durga Puja Committee, said the autumn festival is an integral part of Bengali life. They celebrate Durga Puja wherever they stay, he added.The committee now has a permanent Durga mandap on Chatterjee Lane near Old Bus Stand. “We have been celebrating Durga Puja and other pujas here since 1998,” said Sarkar.Sujata Rani Das, secretary of the puja committee, said priests, cooks, dhaki and idol-makers come from West Bengal. “We aim to keep alive the Bengali tradition while celebrating Durga Puja. Besides Bengali families, people from other communities also come here during the puja,” she said.The committee has also organised cultural programmes during the puja days, including Baul sangeet and devotional songs by the children. Cooked prasad will be served every night during the period.
