City Kemp News
Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust, Bangalore will be celebrating “Durgostav 2015” for the thirteenth year in succession in Mangala Kalyana Mantapa in Koramangala between October 18 and 22. Durgotsav or Durga Puja is the biggest festival for Bengali’s all over the world and Sarathi is no exception. Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court – Honorable Subhro Kamal Mukherjee will be the guest of honor this year.
During the festival days, the morning hours are celebrated with Goddess Durga Devi’s Aradhana/Puja and other religious rituals followed by Prasad/Bhog distribution between 9am and 3pm. The evenings are celebrated with action packed cultural events that will enthrall the audience and take to the plant of entertainment.
Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust (SSCT) will present 18th October, Panchami: Saaz & Dohar; 19th October, Shashthi:Sohor & Kohal; 20th October, Saptami:Ujjaini Mukherjee; 21st October, Astami:Rupankar Bagchi; 22nd October, Nabami: Ash King. And there will be exclusive food-court presenting you delicious mouth watering Bengali dishes – the ranges varies from sweet dishes – Rasogolla to tounge twisting Bhapa Ilish and Kofta Shami Kabab Mahi.
The name Sarathi is popularly associated with the most vibrant Durga Puja in Bangalore. They have been organising various socio-cultural events in Koramangala for several years. Since 2004, the Durga Puja and Diwali celebrations have been held at the Mangala Kalyana Mantapa in Koramangala.
This 5-day cultural extravaganza has become an extremely popular and well attended cultural fiesta, featuring events for kids, students, corporates, homemakers – young and old. Both the in-house cultural programmes, performed by members, and the glitzy professional events attract equal crowds and applause.
Sarathi Socio-Cultural Trust is a forum of like minded, cosmopolitan, and enthusiastic people who have come together with a vision to create a forum for organizing and enjoying cultural functions centering around some major festivals.
It started with a group of nostalgic Bengalis who wanted to have a feel of Kolkatta during the Durga Puja in Bangalore. Starting in 2003, the initial group was subsequently joined by a number of other people from various backgrounds and speaking different languages, but with a shared interest in art and culture.
The main events of Sarathi are the Durga Puja and Diwali celebrations. The five day long cultural programme during Durga Puja has become very popular with the young IT crowd of the city. The events are planned such that everyone has something to enjoy. All days are packed with fun-n-food-n-frolic. If you’re not there, you’re surely missing something.
Background
Sarathi Socio Cultural Trust has an interesting history. Sometime in the middle of 2003, Asis Paul had gone to meet Shyamal Sen at the latter’s printing press in Koramangala to discuss something related to his business. In course of discussion Paul mentioned to Sen that he had been organizing Saraswati Puja at Raheja Residency in Koramangala for quite some time. Upon hearing this Sen casually asked, “Why only Saraswati Puja, can’t there be a Durga Puja in Koramangala?” That was the seed!!
After a few days some twenty odd people met at the Koramangala Club to discuss about the prospect of a Durga Puja in Koramangala. In the same meeting every one gave an assurance of raising about Rs 3 lakh among themselves. That was the first fund raising.
In 2003 the Durga Puja was organized in a small Kalyan Mantap near the Koramangala Police Station. From 2004 onwards the venue has been always the spacious and centrally located “Mangala Kalyana Mantapa”.
Compared to the meagre 3 lakh rupees raised in the first meeting in 2003, the funds kept on increasing in successive years. Hence there was a necessity to register the association. In 2006, Sarathi Socio-Cultural Trust was formally registered.
Bengalee Association
The association celebrates its 66th anniversary. Pujas will be held at RBANM School Ground in Ulsoor.
This Association is one of the oldest association in Bengaluru that was founded in the year 1959.
There will be exhibition stalls and food stalls, serving authentic Bengali cuisine, besides cultural events featuring Madhura Bhattacharya, a young singer from Kolkata on October 21, Anindya Bose’s famous Bengali music band Sohor on October 22, Aarti Nirtya – a traditional dance competition. The event is free and open to all.
Socio Cultural Association (SCA), Indiranagar
Socio Cultural Association is 45 years old The puja venue is Poorna Prajna and Sishu Griha School Grounds HAL III Stage in New Tippasandra. The SCA has the tradition of decorating the idol of Durga in daker saaj, a white embellishment. The Dhakis are brought from Bengal, they play their Dhaak (drum instrument) during Puja. The Dhunichi Dance, which is popular here.
There will be programmes by Bengali playback singer Ujjaini Mukherjee and a Baul singer from Shantiniketan, besides local artistes like the band Divine Raga and singer Divya Raghavan.
Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Bengali Association (SORRBA)
Formed in 2008 by Bengali families living around the junction of Sarjapur Road and Outer Ring Road, SORRBA will celeberate the festival at Sri A.G. Ramaiah Reddy Charitable Trust Ground. This year’s theme for SORRBA is Milke Karo, Man se Karo (Do it together, do it from heart).
The celebrations will include a DJ Dandiya on October 18. This will be followed by a folk band the next day. SORRBA members plan to entertain the crowd this year with dance, drama, and music besides music by Bengali singer Lopamudra Mitra.
UTSAV
Utsav will be celebrating the festival of Durga Puja from Monday, 19th October 2015 to Friday, 23rd October 2015. Durga Puja, a unique blend of cultures, celebrate the arrival of the goddess amongst people of all regions, religions and walks of life.
Durga Puja Venue: Shree Kala Mantap, 70, 15TH Cross Road, 3rd Phase, J.P. Nagar.
In this age of globalization, all of us have made Bengaluru our home and Utsav is the platform for celebrating our life here. We love welcoming new folks into our midst and encourage promising talent to perform on our platform.
One of the major attractions of Utsav’s puja is the cultural program. Utsav team always comes up with innovative programs by blending Bengali culture with Indian & Global cultures. Thus on one hand they have dance programs based on traditional Indian classical dance forms and on the other hand a performance by Bengaluru’s own artists besides two artists, Raju Das baul and Shromona Guha Thakurta.
19th Oct 18:30 – 19:00 Inauguration / Opening ceremony
19:00 – 19:30 Kids Program
19:30 – 20:30 Classical Dance
20:30 – 21:30 Bandishe : Musical Band Program
20th Oct 19:00 – 20:00 Bangla Ganer Asor; 20:00 – 20:30 Shruti Natok o Ranga Natya; 20:30 – 22:00 Natok
21st Oct 18:30 – 19:30 Dhunuchi Naach; 19:30 – 21:30 Folk Music and Dance by Raju Das Baul
22nd Oct 19:00 – 19:30 Nrityer Tale tale; 19:30 – 20:00 Orchestra spectracular; 20:00 – 21:30 Sramona Guha Thakurata: Adhunik o Chalachitrer gaan
Anandadhara, J.P. Nagar
This association represents the Bengali community of South Bengaluru. Founded in 2011, Anandadhara’s aim is to depict the rural Bengal for this year’s celebrations. There will be disco dandia on October 22. There will be vegetarian food counters where you could dig into poori sabzi, sweets, cutlet, fried rice and noodles. They also plan to present Rabindra Sangeet.
Oikotan Hebbal Bengali Cultural Society
The Hebbal Durgotsav 2015. Everything is unique this year. The Goddess made of clay.
Established in 2013, this s.ociety believes in celebration of life, culture and traditions.
A taste of Bengal in Bengaluru
