A Durga Puja in the Netherlands will distribute khichudi bhog on paper plates made by women of the Sunderbans

The Durga Puja has gone beyond the boundaries of Bengal. In 2017 some Bengalis of the Netherlands began the celebration there. The venue is the community center in Eindhoven. This is a major city in the North Brabant province in the Netherlands and the birthplace of the multinational company Philips. This year the Bengalis there will enter a new phase in their lives when they use paper plates made by the women of the Sunderbans. They will use these environment friendly plates to distribute khichudi bhog to the devotees who will come to the festivities. Khichudi bhog is a delectable dish made by boiling rice with pulses and a variety of vegetables that usually include potatoes, pumpkins, brinjal, cauliflower, green peas etc. Items like onions, garlic are taboo. Some whole spices including fried dry red chilies add zing to the final product. There is also a tomato dish known as chutney. The dish is served in community lunches on the occasion of the pujas usually on steel plates, some go in for plastic or thermocol plates. Mangrove plates from Sunderbans for Puja in the Netherlands. This year, the Netherlands will switch over to paper plates made in the Sunderbans. The organizers had ordered around 3,500 plates, cups and bowls and the consignment has reached the destination.

Besides generating income for the women, the paper plates reduce the adverse effect of plastic on the fragile ecosystem of the mangrove delta. Local hotels, homestays and tourist vessels have been the main buyers of the paper utensils. Now, it is making inroads into the overseas market. The Bengali community in and around Eindhoven consist of a “few hundred families.” Although it is a Bengali celebration, others also join. The IndoDutch Care Foundation, based in The Hague, established the link between the Durga Puja community and the manufacturing venture in the Sunderbans. The group started in May 2020, after Cyclone Amphan. Initially it started with a few hundred plates on a daily basis – the figure is now in thousands. Plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the Sunderbans ecosystem and replacing plastic with paper is the best option.

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Pomp and glamour in Durga Puja in Bengal

Durga Puja holds a pride of place in Bengal. It is an occasion when the whole of Bengal comes together to enjoy a few days of unbridled fun. There are hundreds of Pujas and organizers spend hours to come up with new and innovative ideas to capture the imagination of the public and increase footfalls. There have been decorations where the bulk of material used defy imagination. In the past, some have gone in for bamboos, others relied on sea shells, others on coconut while others selected discarded parts of motor vehicles. The design of the pandals relied on well-known buildings including temples, churches, castles and other such unique structures. It seems the brains behind the pujas begin work much in advance. In fact, the planning stage takes off soon after immersion of the idols. Incidentally, the scale of the festivities expanded about a decade earlier. It coincided with a new government taking over. Youngsters are usually the prime movers who breathe life into festivals. In this case, also, they emerged on the scene to change the concept of celebrations. They had the support of people who matter. Thus, the new age Durga Puja came into existence where there was no dearth of funds and the imagination of the organizers could take wings. This festival earned the UN Cultural Heritage status in 2021.

The organizers rightly deserve this recognition because it is a combined effort of not only Bengalis but also all those who contribute. They come from all walks of life and work towards a common goal – success of the programs. These begin from carrying the idols from Kumartuli to the lorries for moving to the pandals till the immersion of the idols in the Hoogly River. Then there are the dance programs mostly of housing societies. The participants include Bengalis and non-Bengalis. When the time comes for community lunch, a common feature, everyone sits together – irrespective of religious faith.

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