How UK Bengalis are bringing Durga Puja into the digital age: Manchester’s iKaku leads the way

As Durga Puja season arrives, Bengali communities from New Jersey to California are preparing pandals, cultural programs and bhog. But one long-running Puja in Manchester, England, is adding something new to the tradition: technology.

The Greater Manchester Bengali Hindu Cultural Association (GMBHCA) will celebrate its annual Durga Puja from Friday, October 16, to Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at Gandhi Hall in Withington, Manchester. This year marks 34 years for one of the city's longest-established Bengali community organizations.

An AI assistant on WhatsApp

The association has introduced a WhatsApp-based digital assistant powered by AI, along with automated membership identification, improved RSVP and attendance tracking, and digital donation receipts.

The goal is to make the organization more efficient and transparent, while making it easier for members and supporters to stay engaged throughout the year, not just during the five days of Puja.

For many Indian American community groups, these challenges will sound familiar: volunteer-run committees juggling memberships, RSVPs, donations and event logistics, often through long WhatsApp groups and spreadsheets.

Heritage in short-form video

GMBHCA has also launched "Khoj – Exploring Culture, Connecting Communities," a cultural storytelling platform. Through short-form digital content, Khoj explores Bengali culture, traditions, food, festivals, history and contemporary life.

The format is designed to engage younger audiences as well as those already familiar with the culture, and to take Bengali heritage beyond the Puja venue to a much wider audience. Examples of the content are available on Facebook.

It's an approach that could resonate with Indian American families, where many second- and third-generation children connect with culture through their phones as much as through festivals.

Building bridges across communities

Technology isn't the only change. This year, GMBHCA has partnered with Radha Krishna Mandir HRS, a long-established temple in Withington that regularly hosts Hindu religious and community activities. The collaboration aims to build stronger links between different parts of Manchester's Indian and Hindu communities.

The Puja has also become increasingly diverse, welcoming people from different cultural backgrounds to experience Bengali traditions.

More than a festival

As a registered charity, GMBHCA runs activities throughout the year, including Bengali New Year celebrations, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja, cultural programs and activities for younger generations.

Its message carries across the Atlantic: in a digital age, keeping heritage alive may depend not only on preserving traditions, but on finding new ways to share them.