If you thought Diwali and Holi are the only Indian festivals celebrated in a grand- scale in London, then you have gotten it wrong. Regional festivals of India are slowly making their significance felt in and around London, with more and more Indian communities joining in to spread the uniqueness of their rich cultural heritage. This weekend saw the lavish celebrations of Saraswati Puja by Bengali cultural associations here in London.
Saraswati Puja, primarily celebrated in the Eastern States of India, is observed by worshipping goddess Saraswati- the goddess of knowledge, music, wisdom and learning. This day is chosen by many families to give a symbolic start to their children’s educational journey by making them scribble an alphabet or two with a chalk. Sarada from Croydon Bengali Connection said: “The Bengali population is Croydon has gone up in the past few years. And as Saraswati puja is for the goddess of learning, and most of the families here have school-going children we thought there is a need for this celebration.”
Croydon Bengali Connection organised the puja for the fourth successive year with equal enthusiasm and excitement on Saturday. The occasion was graced by the Honourable Mayor of Croydon Cllr Manju Shahul-Hameed, Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, and other eminent guests from Croydon Council and Members of Parliament. The event saw an over-whelming participation by other communities as well, immersed in the spirit of festivities and merriment.
The evening started with puja followed by dinner and cultural programme whose main attraction was the themed fancy dress show put forward by children below the age of 3. “Our main focus is to pass on the cultural heritage to our children who are born and being brought up far away from their motherland. This year’s fancy dress show is an attempt to celebrate the works of great Bengali children’s writer, Sukumar Ray. Children are dressed as different characters from Sukumar Ray’s stories,” said Sarada.
CBC’s partner, the London Sharad Utsav (LSU) carried forward the celebrations to Sunday, holding a vibrant, free, and delightful event at Ealing Town hall.
The festivities began from 1 pm onwards with offering of prayers to the goddess. It was followed by the Prasad between 2 pm to 3 pm, and then there was the start of the immensely entertaining cultural programme. The soulful Bengali music performed by the Shara’d band made young and old dance to their tune.
There were other associations as well who geared up to arrange a devotional evening to offer prayers to the goddess of learning. Sanatan Bengali Cultural Association held prayers and aarti at St. John's Hall on Sunday, and Sanatan Bengali Association (North London) and Hindu Pragati Sangha Mandir organised their respective events on Saturday.
Such celebrations gave a sense of the true multi-cultural Indian identity basking in the glory of its amazingly diverse and distinct cultural heritage in a foreign land.
