Durga Utsav is celebrated in Sept/Oct worldwide. This is a four-day Indian festival celebrated mainly by the Bengalis. The celebration’s size and scale depend on the community’s size. Here in Northern California, there used to be only one about 26 years back. As the community grew, the number of events also increased. Today there are about thirty of them. It is a very colorful event where everyone is traditionally attired to look their best. Visiting grandparents and relatives get a feel of the festivities at home during this time. You get to see beautiful thematic displays of decorations and a lot of cultural programs performed by local talents. The Durga Utsav provides a platform, where kids can perform and also get a good exposure to their culture. The food stalls and shops selling traditional outfits and jewelry are a special attraction.

Last two weekends I have been attending the Durga Pujas around the Bay Area. The two oldest Durga pujas Prabasi and Sanskriti celebrated their milestone anniversary this year. Prabasi celebrated its 50th and Sanskriti celebrated its 25th. I was fortunate enough to help in the decoration for the Sanskriti’s opening year in 1998. There are many more Pujos we attended which are Agomoni, Pashchimi, Aparajita, Bay Basi, FOG, Silicon Valley Sarbojanin, and Kriti cultural club Hats off to all the dedicated volunteers in these Durga Pujas who worked hard to make this a success. Be it the decoration, cultural program, stalls, food, or Bhog distribution, all of these tasks are done by the volunteers with full dedication. We enjoyed all of them. 

Wheelchair accessibility ♿️ ♿️

Most of the venues are wheelchair accessible. A few things can be improved to make the festival more inclusive 

  • In some of the venues, the wheelchair-accessible parking is occupied by the Vendors which makes it very difficult for a wheelchair user to park.
  • Sometimes the path to the Pujo Pandal is very bumpy with several wire coverings which make it harder for a wheelchair user to navigate
  • In some of the venues, the stage set up for the cultural program is not wheelchair accessible.
  • During the Anjali, there should be a separate space allotted for elderly people and wheelchair users so that they can do the offerings comfortably
  • Even for the food vendors it will be very helpful if the management prioritises elderly people so that they don’t have to wait in a long queue.
  • Last but not least, please do not misuse the wheelchair-accessible parking spot. These parking spaces are there for a reason and no matter what, we must honor it at all times even if our need is for two minutes or two seconds. I have noticed many times, people irresponsibly occupying these spaces momentarily (“I will be gone in 2 minutes”- they would say) only to deny someone with a very real need. Please remember, these parking spots and the lined spaces next to them are not a 2-minute parking zone for anybody.