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Today, when one talks about Durga Puja in Delhi, the immediate thought goes to CR Park, also known as Delhi's mini Kolkata. This is a colony, established on a rocky terrain in the early 1960s which came under the name of East Pakistan Displaced Persons Colony (EPDP) and was renamed after Chittaranjan Das in the 1980s. But, there exists Kashmere Gate's Durga Puja, which is Delhi's oldest Durga Puja, going on for over 100 years.
When East Pakistan, now Bangladesh was finally separated from West Pakistan, now Pakistan in 1971, an estimated 50 families came to the EPDP colony, making this place home to the Bengalis who were displaced. This place soon became the hub of Delhi's Bengalis and was known as the mini Kolkata. Thus, every year, during Durga Puja, the streets of CR Park are decorated like those of Bengal.
However, the origin of Delhi's Bengalis actually lies in the lanes of Old Delhi's Kashmere Gate, so does the city's oldest Durga Puja.
The First Bengali Settlement Of Delhi
It is in Kashmere Gate where Delhi's first Bengali community settled. But how did they end up in Delhi? Well, between 1204 to 1352, Bengal was a province of the Delhi Sultanate, thus trade and travel were common, and it existed as an important location even during the Mughal rule.
A bunch of Bengalis also settled in Delhi in the early 19th century, mostly whom were doctors, lawyers or administrators. As a result in 1840, near the Nigam Bodh Ghat, was made Delhi's first Kali Bari. The records mention that in 1857, the idol was also destroyed in the mutiny, or what some call the first war of independence and was rescued and placed in a new temple located in Tis Hazari in 1917. This incident is also mentioned in the booklet which can still be found in Tis Hazari Kali Bari.
Between 1882 to 1886, the East India Company also set up its East India Rail and linked Calcutta, now Kolkata and Delhi to make trade easy. This also led to a spur in the Bengali population in Delhi. Then, on 23 February 1889, the first recognised Bengali School was founded which ran in Chandni Chowk with 40 students and one teacher. This school, which is running to this day is called the Bengali Sr Secondary School.
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Beginnings of the First Pujo
In 1910, members from Delhi's first Bengali community came together and organised its first Durga Puja in Old Delhi's Narain Dharmshala. Bengali Sr Secondary School and the members involved with them, including the students, became active participants of the Puja committee, which happens to this date, notes Debashish Mitra, one of the graduates of the school.
Another factor is when in 1911, King George V was coronated and the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi also witnessed a bunch of Bengali immigrants who were now coming to Delhi for better opportunities. They soon got involved with the existing Bengali community and the school played a great role as the pillar of preserving the Bengali heritage.
Since then, Durga Puja has been celebrated every year in Delhi. Idol maker Biswajit Pal and his helpers, every year, come down to Delhi from Kolkata to make the Durga idol for the celebrations.
Durga Puja Celebrations In Delhi's Oldest Puja Pandal
In 1961, the school moved to its present and permanent premise at Alipur Road, Civil Lines, where the celebrations of Durga Puja are held each year. Pal, who makes the idol comes from West Bengal's Krishnanagar, which is known as the hub of idol-making. The Pal community in West Bengal's Kumartuli, which translates to a group of potters or those who work with clay, are also actively involved in idol-making.
"Back in my hometown, everyone is trained to make idols, it is an art that we pass down from one generation to another," says Pal. "Before me, my father used to make the Durga idol for the school's Durga Puja, I am also teaching my son the same skill," he shares.
What Goes Behind The Making of The Durga Idol
"We first make the base with hay grass, we do not start right away with the clay," shares Pal as he carefully guides two of his helpers to shape the figures with hay grass (see image).
"I then cover it with wet mud. The coating is done in layering, so the structure is strong. It takes time for layers to dry, so we start the process of idol-making at least a month before Durga Puja," he shares.
Pal shares that they do not make the idol as a whole, rather they attach the different parts in the process, "it is a step-by-step process and requires patience," he says.
Once all the parts of the idol are placed correctly and is covered with clay, two weeks are given to let it dry. "On Mahalaya, we start painting," he shares. Mahalaya is believed to be the day when Goddess Durga comes down to earth from heaven, thus symbolically, the painting starts on the same to mark her arrival.
"Idol-making for me is like worshipping the goddess itself. The most auspicious part is drawing her eyes. It is called Chokkho Daan (Chokkho means eyes and daan means to offer). This is when the idol comes alive,” he says.
Pal also shares that only the idol-maker is allowed to see when the eyes are drawn, it is not shown to the public, which is why for the idol-maker it is an opportunity like no other, it is like worship.
The painting continues till the fourth day of Navratri, and on the fifth day, also known as Panchami, is when the idol is decorated.
"In Delhi, we are told to stick to the traditional way of idol-making, whereas in Bengal, we are encouraged to experiment more. So, here, we decorate the idol with daaker saaj,” he shares.
Daaker saaj are the ornaments which are used on the Durga idol to decorate her. It is made of silver foil and sequins, and since back in those days, the raw materials were not easily available and were imported from other countries, mainly Germany via post, known as daak in Bangla, it soon came to be known as Daaker saaj. This is what gives the idol the serene white look.
From 1910 till today, the Durga Puja in Delhi has been ongoing, nothing has changed, except the location. This year will mark the 114th Durga Puja celebration, the oldest one in the city. While every year the idol-maker comes from Bengal, the only year there was no idol was during the two years of the pandemic. "The pandemic was a hard time, while many other Delhi Puja committee discontinued their celebrations, we continued by replacing the idol with earthen pots. Because we did not want to discontinue the celebration, which has been going on for 100 years now," shares Dilip Ghosh, a former student of the school from the 1961 batch.
While many newbies might think CR Park is where the Bengali hub is, purists and those who know the city well will agree that it is the Kashmere Gate's Bengali Sr Secondary School's Durga Puja which is not only the oldest but is also deeply rooted in history. This is what makes it a must-visit!