The Bengali community here is celebrating the Durga Puja with enthusiasm and gaiety. This year’s puja holds special significance as it came after the abrogation of Article 370 and the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country.

The Durga Puja was organized by the Jammu Durga Puja Committee. The Puja was inaugurated by Shourjo Chatterjee, Accountant General, J&K and IP Singh, Chairman of Jammu Durga Puja Committee accompanied by Chief Guest Lt Col Devender Anand, PRO Defence Jammu, and Guest of Honour Shib Narayan Acharya, an officer from the Ministry of Defence and Dr Dipankar Sengupta, HOD, Economics Department, Jammu University by lighting the traditional lamp and auspicious breaking of coconuts.

Several Bengali families also joined the inauguration ceremony.

Debabrata Ghosh enthralled the audience with his voice by singing the inaugural Puja song. The 82 years old veteran civil servant Sukhendu Chatterjee and many other guests and family members also graced the occasion.

Senior Vice President of Uflex, SIDCO Bari Brahmna and the pillar behind Jammu Durga Puja Committee Soumitra Barari said, “People from across religion and caste of entire Jammu come here and we welcome them all. This festival is an example of communal harmony.”

Durga Puja is the much-awaited festival of the Bengali community in India. This festival is observed in the month of Ashwin according to the Indian calendar which falls in September or October in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is celebrated in the last 5 days of Navratri.

Although this is a festival of the eastern region in India, nowadays Durga Puja is celebrated all over the country by various Bengali societies.

Jammu being the summer capital of J&K is the abode of a large population of Bengalis who perform Durga Puja at various places in Jammu every year. The pandals, rituals, food, and the concerts arranged during the Puja can give you a hint of the grand celebration of goddess Durga in West Bengal.

The cultural evening started with a jam packed audience. The Presidents Brijesh Rathore and P Srihari welcomed the guests with a shawl and bouquet of flowers. In their addresses, every guest appreciated the sincere efforts of Soumitra Barari and his entire team of Uflex to bring all in one gathering to celebrate Durga Puja and Navaratra.

Jytoshna Ghosh, Amit and his team, Rony, and Emon mesmerized the audience with their voice.
Rajroop recited a Bengali poem. The Acct Gen Chatterjee and veteran Sukhendu Babu also performed.

The classical and fusion foot-tapping dance by Sanchoyita, Tania, Yashi, Rupsa, Pallabi, Swapnil and others also enthralled the audience who were spellbound by the scintillating dance choreography of Swapnila Acharya on the song of “Breathless”.