Durga Puja is not merely a Bengali festival but also a national one. It has assumed great importance this year as the President of India is a Bengali who worshipped the Goddess in his ancestral home in a Bengali village. But the Bengali diaspora all over the world has taken the Puja to foreign climes in keeping with the pervasive trend of globalization. Pradip Ghosh, green card holder of 45 years is happily at home in Washington with the great autumn festival. He is the Chairman of a board of trustees, Washington Kali Temple and the Shiva Shakti Mandir in the US capital. He does not have to be content with glimpses of the Puja back home on satellite television. The Puja in Washington is elaborate. The priests are permanent US residents. The Bengali community has arrived as a powerful section of society all over the world. The UK is a prominent home of non-resident Bengalis. Sudipta Bose, a permanent member of the Panchamukhi Durga Union in London talks glowingly about the festivities held in the former capital of the British Empire. About 10,000 people attend the Puja every year. London Sharad Utsav has also tied up with the iconic Pujas in Kolkata.
It is not merely the festive spirit. Such links mean booming business for the idol makers in Kolkata in traditional Kumartuli. They export idols abroad adding exotic touches to them to suit tastes abroad and blending them with traditional craft. A startling development this year has been the export of idols of Goddess Durga to Shanghai in China. A large non-resident Bengali community has emerged in our giant neighbour. What is most striking is that China is still a Communist country. It is good business as well contributing a little to reducing the India-China trade deficit!
