- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Pramod Thomas
A first-of-its-kind Durga Puja parade on the river Thames and the Mayor of London’s annual Diwali on the Square at Trafalgar Square marked a heavily packed Indian festive weekend across London.
The Heritage Bengal Global (HBG), a not-for-profit organisation made up of the Bengali diaspora, organised the Durga Puja parade to coincide with events in Kolkata as part of its initiative to create a worldwide forum to bring together puja festivities covering across every continent.
Over 200 people participated in the river parade sailing past London landmarks such as the Big Ben and London Eye on Saturday (8). India’s Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, Sujit Ghosh, along with representatives of the UK’s Royal Army and Royal Air Force were among the special guests at the event.
“The boats were decorated with traditional chhou masks and various puja artefacts from Kumartuli, which transformed the boats into mini tableaus of Bengal,” HBG said in a statement.
The parade involved two yachts carrying Goddess Durga idols from the puja celebrations at Camden in north London as well as cutouts of Midlands Bengali Association in Birmingham and Bengali Sanskrit Club in Peterborough. Indian cutouts from Bhowanipur 75 Palli and Bagbazar Sarbojanin pujas of Kolkata and a landmark pandal representation from the Sreebhumi Sporting Club made up the grand parade, complete with traditional music and dance.
As a follow up, the group headed to the annual Diwali celebrations at Trafalgar Square on Sunday for a colourful performance involving an Adivasi cultural programme in honour of India’s first President from the tribal community, Droupadi Murmu.
“This year the back-to-back events of Durga Parade on Thames and Diwali at Trafalgar Square helped immensely in our endeavour to promote Durga Puja and the traditional cultural heritage of Bengal, which should likely to put Kolkata on the global tourism map,” said HBG Director Anirban Mukhopadhyay.
“We wanted to convert the UNESCO intangible tag of Durga Puja to something more tangible to realise its full potential,” he said.
Durga Puja was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year.
The Diwali on the Square event also included cultural performances from other parts of India, including Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. The day-long festivities included yoga and meditation, singalong bhajans and live performances. Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, hailed the “terrific Diwali festive spirit” at the event organised annually by the Mayor of London’s office.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, said: “Diwali on the Square is always special as Londoners and visitors of all ages come together to celebrate the Festival of Lights, with a glorious blend of music, culture, food, and art.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Hindu and Sikh neighbours I grew up alongside, I have been lucky enough to experience, on many occasions, the joy and unity that Diwali brings and I know Londoners across our city will be joining together with their families and friends to celebrate.
“I want to take this opportunity to wish all those celebrating a very happy Diwali.”
Nitin Palan MBE FCA, on behalf of the Diwali in London committee, said: “I’m delighted that, after an absence of almost three years, Diwali in London was celebrated in its full fervour in Trafalgar Square. This year’s theme ‘In the joy of other lies our own’ was relevant for both Diwali and the world in general, as the need for kindness, harmony and selfless service could not be greater at this current time. On behalf of the Diwali in London team, we wish everyone lots of happiness and hope you are inspired to add happiness to the lives of others.”
A Diwali Festival Experience by London’s Neasden Temple, dance workshops, sari and turban tying and henna painting events concluded with a special light- up moment at the famous square in celebration of the festival of lights on October 24.
(with PTI inputs)
