For devotees, community meals strike right chord

Bengaluru: Friday marks the first day of Durga Puja celebrations, bringing to a climax months of preparation to give devotees the best experience of both culture and the divine. Providing an immersive experience to this is ‘bhog prasadam’, the elaborate community meals spread out on the occasion.“A tiny bit of bhog or food is offered to Maa Durga every day. Once the Goddess eats, the meal is called mayer bhog (Goddess’ food). This is mixed with the large-scale food prepared for devotees,” explains Priyanka Sinha Roy, spokesperson of BARSHA Durga Puja, which is being held on a ground opposite Cambridge International School, Haralur Road.While food stalls at the pandals roll out a range of Bengali food, including fish and meat, the community meals are vegetarian and served to hundreds of devotees from October 21 to 23. The lunch at most pandals is between 12.30pm and 3pm. Many stick to the nutritious and humble khichdi as the main course coupled with mixed vegetable for all three days, while some experiment with the menu.For instance, North Bangalore Cultural Samithi Durga Puja, which is at Hindu Sadara Kshemabhivrudhi Sangha, Rajajinagar, has decided on a different menu every day, mixing the traditional and recent food choices. Dishes over the three days range from cauliflower potato curry and pineapple chutney to French fries and fried rice. Kalyan Pathak, media convener, sums up the spirit of the community celebrations as ‘Pujo te ashun dekha hobe, alap hobe, golpo hobe (Let’s meet during puja, we will get to know each other and share stories).Debajit Roy from Oikoton Hebbal Durgotsav, near Green Country School, Hebbal, says they will serve khichdi, labda, bhaja and chutney on October 21, and pulao, dal, bhaja, chutney among other items on October 22-23.Bangalore Durga Puja Committee at Manpho Convention Centre, Nagawara, will serve Satvik food to devotees prepared by Iskcon.Going greenNabarun, president of BSS Durga Puja, at Lotus Convention, Ramamurthy Nagar, says the three-day lunch will be served on plates made of leaves and biodegradable paper cups. This goes in line with their ‘relation with Earth’ theme that has extended even to the stage setup — made with bamboo and hay.Suvrangshu Basu, vice-president of Durga Puja Green Glen Layout, Bellandur, that is holding Anandotsab at Sobha Lakeview Club House, says khichdi is the unifier — the humble wholesome food afforded by all people irrespective of social status. While providing this human touch, the organisers are also mindful to limit the waste generated. “Our members, several of whom are software engineers, have developed a system through which devotees scan QR code before coming in for a meal. We get a faster estimate of how much food will be consumed, which helps us plan the next meal better,” he explains.