Probashi pujos are a whole other vibe. You are away from your home, trying to make a new home little by little, bringing together pieces of traditions, practices, memories and nostalgia. One such Durga Puja happens 7,579 km away from Kolkata, in faraway Netherlands. A community of Bengalis unite to celebrate Durga Puja, weave magic moments with song, dance, food (traditional Bengali delectables) and wait with bated breath for another call of ‘Asche Bochor Abar Hobe’.
My Kolkata got in touch with Abhishek Dasgupta, co-founder of the organisation Holland-e Hoichoi, who gave us a sneak peak into the organising and execution of Durga Puja, what was special this year and much more.
Two generations coming together to celebrate Durga Puja
My Kolkata: As a ‘probashi Bangali’ community, what are three things you keep in mind for Durga Puja celebrations abroad?
Abhishek Dasgupta: Being Bangali and one and for all, not “Bong”! Hoichoi promotes more face-to-face interactions and fewer formalities between us. We are here to generate warmth as in a Bengali household, where no one feels like an outsider. We intend to bring not only the Bengalis under one umbrella, but also the non-Bengalis as well as our Dutch friends and colleagues.
Creating ‘memories’ and not mere ‘events’ — that’s Hoichoi’s uniqueness. We believe in creating evergreen friendships, so that we can lean on each other for support in this distant land away from our dear ones. We believe in creating a bigger Hoichoi family, and not just a “Bengali community”. Our motto is to build relationships, and make everyone feel like a part of the journey.
What do probashi Bangalis miss the most about Durga Puja back home?
Family and friends, pandal-hopping and street food.
How old is your Durga Puja? Tell us a bit about how it started.
This is the seventh year of our Durga Puja. Holland-e-Hoichoi was formed in 2015 in the Netherlands. In a very short period, Hoichoi earned its name as one of the most popular Indian organisations here. Along with organising events like Poila Boishakh and Bijoya Sammilani, the cordiality of the organisers touched everyone, and now more than 1,000 families associate themselves with Hoichoi.
Singer Arko Mukhaerjee (second from left) performed at the cultural programme this year
With more love comes more responsibilities. Our friends started asking about our plan for organising the biggest festival of Bengal – Durga Puja. So, after intense discussion and planning, we finally announced Hoichoi’s first Durga Puja in 2017. Our commitment towards bringing Bengal to Bengalis in the Netherlands was well-appreciated and, to boast a little, was successful. We served more than 3,000 guests across five days of Puja. The journey has continued from then. In the course of time, more and more friends got associated with Hoichoi. Now, we are one of the biggest Durga Pujas in Europe.
From Shukto to Muitha, Labra to Barishali Ilish, Kolkata-style Vegetable Chop to Fish Fry – the menu for this year on the website looked amazing. What’s the planning process for food, and who goes to bajar and oversees the cooking?
Our team members do the procurement of raw materials from the local distributors/supermarkets, and from Indian and Bangladeshi grocery stores. Our meals are freshly cooked in the in-house kitchen of the rental venue. We partner with a local Indian caterer Indilli Foods for cooking the meals.
Pujo spread with Shukto to Ilish
Instilling your roots and your cultural heritage in the next generation — how do you do that? Are the kids and younger generation equally enthusiastic?
The younger generation is extremely enthusiastic about Durga Puja. The kids actively participate with us to organise the puja. They play a key role in the ‘reception desk’ and ‘meet-and-greet’ teams. They also perform in our cultural evenings – singing, dance, drama, recitation and what not! Although we are miles away from our home land, we successful in involving the younger generation and passing on Bengali tradition and culture.
Younger generations come together to celebrate Durga Puja every year
As a community, what are the three wishes from Ma Durga this year?
We wish to be able to continue our good work as a social non-profit organisation, organise workshops to facilitate integration of Indian diaspora to Dutch society, promote sustainable living and spread awareness to give a better future to our kids and host concerts to bring more people together.
Sindoor khela this year
What are some of the things – rituals, traditions, customs – you have needed to alter because of geography?
Yes, we do have to tweak a few things. We can’t do bisharjan of the idol. We keep the idol in a secured storage and re-use the same idol next year. Dhunuchi naach and Navami hom (yagna) are done at a relatively smaller scale.
