United colours of India in Puja festivities

NEW DELHI: Yulia Kisel Banerjee was a picture of concentration as she carefully counted the lotus in a basket of flowers at a pandal in Greater Kailash-II. "There has to be 108 lotus for the evening puja," explained Yulia, a Russian married to a Bengali.
Elsewhere in Patparganj's Kallol Society, Pushpita Nayak helped organise cultural programmes and competitions.
Saptami onwards, Ajay Rana has only one work `bhog poribeshon' (serving of bhog) at the K-block puja in C R Park.
Yulia, Nayak and Rana are just a few faces who make Durga Puja a community celebration in the capital. With over 250 Durga Pujas in Delhi, the puja has become synonymous with participation by people from different communities. From organising committee members to faithful audience, a sizeable chunk comes from people belonging to different states and religions. "Not only do they love being part of the huge celebration, with Navratras also about triumph of good over evil, the devotional aspect of Durga Puja is close to their heart. Puja would be incomplete without their participation,'' said Indraprastha puja committee member Ramit Mitra.
"As a child, I used to accompany my parents to Kali Bari on Ashtami to offer puspanjali. Now, I look forward to these days of puja each year,'' explained Amita Sinha, who can be seen from dawn to dusk, performing the rites of each puja day.
Kinjal Patel is busy with last-minute dance practice. "I'm going to dance to the Agomoni songs in the evening. We will be wearing saris with red borders. My father is going to record it on his camcorder. My elder sister will be singing,'' the nine-year-old said.
The pujas at Karol Bagh and Kashmere Gate are popular haunts of the city's multi-cultural communities. "We just love eating the biryani at Kashmere Gate and taking part in the quiz competition. It is our yearly tradition. The evening arati is also awesome,'' said Charan and Nishit, both third-year DU students.
Several organisers said their pujas may have been initiated by Bengalis, but they could not have sustained without the support of friends from different communities. "GK-II is a multi-cultural neighbourhood. Our puja began 19 years ago in a small park in S-block. A handful of Bengalis and their friends from other communities helped start what has now become a tradition for many. People who have moved out of the neighbourhood come back each year from far-off locations like Dwarka and Gurgaon to be part of the puja each year. It is like a committment they have made," said puja committee member Samrat Banerjee. This year, the GK-II puja has 150 years of Tagore as its theme. The pandal is a replica of the Tagore Rajbari. The puja committee has roped in bauls from Bengal to perform in the cultural programmes. Even the bhog will be made of organic ingredients.