Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust is a non profit organization in Bangalore, founded in 2003. The organization is involved in organizing socio-cultural events in Koramangala, the highlight being the grand "Durga Puja", [1] which sees at least 150,000 to 200,000 visitors every year, [2] and which got the "Senco Sharod Samman" award for the best ambiance and crowd management in 2018. [3] [4] In 2020, Sarathi used its funds to help many people, like the idol-makers and others, whose livelihoods were badly impacted due to the pandemic. [5]
Transcending the boundaries of provincialism, ethnicity and languages, Sarathi encourages people from all communities to participate [6] [7] in its cultural fiesta, branded as Sammad - "an Indian cultural extravaganza", [8] which was inaugurated by the likes of Tejasvi Surya (2019), [9] [7] Justice Santhosh Hegde, Captain Gopinath and Ashok Soota over the years. [10] "One of the oldest" [11] in the city, it's "more contemporary in terms of crowd" [12] among the various Durga Puja celebrations in Bangalore.
Seen as "a meeting ground for young people, many from the IT, banking and other sectors, who form the cream of Bangalore", major corporate brands like UB, HSBC, Reliance Jewels and others were involved with Sammad over the years. [13] [14]
Important cultural icons, the likes of Ash King, Rupankar, Kavita Krishnamoorthy, Anupam Roy, Srijit Mukherji, Parambrata Chatterjee, Srikanto Acharya, Lopamudra, Somlata, June Banerjee, Neel Dutt, Bhoomi, Cactus, Paras Pathar and others, have performed at Sammad.
Being the hub of IT in the nineties, Koramangala has been a focus of many Bengalis for whom the nearest Durga Puja was Ulsoor. This prompted a group of people staying in and around Koramangala, who "pined for home at that time of the year when the dhaaks beat out their insistent rhythm and the smell of egg rolls is redolent in the air", [13] to start one in Koramangala. [15]
Though over the years its USP has been a "new age feel", with events like fashion show [16] and "rock competition [Bandemonium] for college students during the five days of celebrations", [17] it's also rooted in tradition and culture through the unique programs based on fusion of contemporary and classical dance forms, Ulu dhwani and Sankha (conch) blowing competition, Dhunuchi (censer) Dance competition, as well as dhaaki (traditional Bengali drum players) competition. [9] [18]
Their general theme has been always "'Bibidher Majhe Milan', that is "Unity in Diversity". [Their] various cultural programmes [] celebrate the essence of India, rather than just Bengali culture." [8]
Author and musician Sudipto Das is currently the General Secretary of Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust. [19]
Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri. It is observed on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin, the seventh in the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The festival typically falls in the Gregorian calendar months of September and October.
Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsav, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasura. It is particularly celebrated in Bengal, Assam, and other eastern Indian states. The festival is observed in the Indian calendar in the month of Ashvin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of the most significance. The puja is performed in homes and public, the latter featuring a temporary stage and structural decorations. The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions called a melā. Durga Puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been inscribed on the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December 2021.
Dhakeshwari National Temple is a Hindu temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh's 'National Temple'. The name "Dhakeshwari" means "Goddess of Dhaka". Since the destruction of Ramna Kali Mandir in 1971 by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Dhakeshwari Temple has assumed status as the most important Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh. It is also the largest Hindu temple in Bangladesh. This temple is part of the famous Shakti Peethas in Indian Subcontinent. Here the gem of Sati's crown had fallen.
Jagatdhatri or Jagaddhatri is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Durga, worshipped in the Indian state of West Bengal and other states like Odisha and Jharkhand. Jagaddhatri Puja is particularly famous in Chandannagar town of Hooghly district and Krishnanagar of Nadia district in West Bengal where it is celebrated as a five-day-long festival. Her worship and rituals are derived from Tantra. It is believed that her worship frees her devotees from ego and all other materialistic desires.
Kolkata has many festivals throughout the year. The largest and most magnificently celebrated festival of the city is Durga Puja, and it features colourful pandals, decorative idols of Hindu goddess Durga and her family, lighting decorations and fireworks. Other major festivals are Diwali, Kali Puja, Holi, Saraswati Puja, Poush Parbon, Poila Boishakh, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, etc.
This article lists the traditional festivals and other cultural events in the Odisha region of India. Odisha celebrates 13 festivals in 12 months as the saying goes Bāra Māsare Tera Parba.
Alpana or alpona is a South Asian folk art style, traditionally practiced by women, and consisting of colored motifs, patterns, and symbols that are painted on floors and walls with paints made from rice flour, on religious occasions. It is common to the Bengal region in India, and in Bangladesh. Amongst Hindu families, alpanas may contain religious motifs with symbolic designs that relate to religious austerity, festivals, and specific deities. Amongst Santal tribal communities, alpanas often contain geometric or symbolic patterns drawn from nature. Although traditionally the domain of rural women, Alpana motifs have been very influential in modern Indian art, and are incorporated into the works of artists such as Jamini Roy, Abanindranath Tagore, Devi Prasad, and in the early illustrations of film-maker Satyajit Ray. In contemporary Bengal, alpanas are created as part of religious festivals such as the Durga puja, in public and private spaces.
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris as well, one starting on the Shukla paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Jyestha Month.
Kali Puja, also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja or Kartika. The festival is especially popular in the region of West Bengal, and other places like Mithila and Anga of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, as well as the town of Titwala in Maharashtra, along with the neighbouring country of Bangladesh.
New Delhi Kali Bari is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Kali and the center for Bengali culture in New Delhi, India. Established in 1930s, it is situated on Mandir Marg, close to Laxminarayan Temple in Delhi.
Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir is a temple complex and Bengali community cultural center in Chittaranjan Park in New Delhi, India. Built on a small hill, it started as a Shiv temple in 1973, which still stands within the complex, the larger shrines dedicated to goddess Kali, Shiva, and Radhakrishna were added in 1984. Over the years it has remained an important centre of convergence of local Bengali community during annual Durga Puja festivities.
The Ekkos Clan is a mystery novel written by Indian author Sudipto Das, based on historical research. It was published by Niyogi Books and released in India in July 2013 and officially launched at a function in Bangalore on 3 August 2013.
Sudipto Das is an Indian author, social worker and musician. He is also a columnist, a speaker at TED events and a veteran in the semiconductor industry, having co-chaired the Industry Forum at the VLSID 2020. He has been the co-founder of two startups. In 2020 he spearheaded a country wide initiative to deliver daily groceries to people stranded due to lockdowns in the wake of the breakout of COVID-19.
Sindur Khela, literally meaning 'vermillion game', is a Bengali Hindu tradition where women smear each other with sindur on Vijayadashami, the last day of the Durga Puja. On the day of the Vijayadashami after the conclusion of the ritual worship, married Bengali Hindu women apply sindur on the forehead and feet of the goddess and offer sweets to her. Then they put sindur on each other's faces and offer sweets to each other.
The Aryabhata Clan (ISBN 978-9386906137) is the second novel by the Indian author Sudipto Das, published by Niyogi Books in December 2017. It was officially launched at the New Delhi World Book Fair, on 10 January 2018. Set against the backdrop of the Islamic State spreading its tentacles in India, it is a historical thriller and mystery novel where a 1,500-year-old verse composed by the Indian mathematician Aryabhata plays a crucial role in the deciphering of innumerable cryptic symbols, ancient signs, mysterious carpet motifs and a sinister plan to destabilize India.
The Broken Amoretti (ISBN 9789386906830) is a literary novel written by Sudipto Das and Aparajita Dutta. It's the third novel by Sudipto, published by Niyogi Books and formally released at an event in IIT Kharagpur in July 2019.
From 13 to 19 October 2021, Muslim mobs instigated communal violence against Hindu communities across Bangladesh during the Durga Puja festival, in response to a viral video where Quran was kept under a temple idol feet. More than 50 temples and makeshift worship arrangements were vandalized all over Bangladesh
Ahmedabad Kali Bari is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Kali and the center for Bengali Culture in Ahmedabad, India. Established in 2014, it is situated on Kali Bari Road, West Ahmedabad.
Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated magnificently marking the worship of the Hindu mother goddess Durga. This festival is the biggest festival in Kolkata.
On 2 October 2022, a fire occurred at a Durga Puja pandal in Narthuwa village in Bhadohi district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Seventeen people died and at least 75 people were injured in the incident. The investigation revealed that the decorative fiber polythene sheets had caught fire due to heat caused by halogen lights. The incident occurred around 9:30 PM (IST), during the celebration of Saptami or the seventh day of Navaratri, an annual Hindu festival observed in honour of the Hindu goddess Durga. Around 150 to 300 people or more were present at the venue when the incident took place.