KENDRAPARA: The grand old Durga Puja started by the immigrants from the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1950 at the coastal Ramanagar village under Mahakalapada block of Kendrapara district turned 75 this year.
Going down the memory lane, president of the Ramnagar Durga Puja committee Milan Debnath said the festival at the village has a rich past. “After the partition of India in 1947, the government settled around 4,000 Bengali-speaking Hindu people in the coastal pockets of the district as they were forced to leave their villages in East Pakistan due to large-scale violence. The festival was brought to the seaside mangrove covered villages by the Bengali community. It was first observed in Ramanagar village in 1950 and then grew to involve other communities as well,” he added.
The celebrations offer a unique blend of cultural exchange, with people from different backgrounds participating in the festivities, Debnath said. Member of Ramanagar gram panchayat, Bijay Shuklya said the government had settled most of the Bengali-speaking people from Bangladesh in the mangrove-covered seaside areas.
“They have been worshipping Maa Durga at around 20 puja pandals in these villages. But the pandal at Ramanagar is the oldest and most-revered in the district,” he added.
During this time of the year, the entire village comes alive with dazzling lights and stunning decorations, adding to the festive spirit. The puja mandaps witness large gatherings of people all throughout the five-day festival as devotees from far and wide assemble to pay obeisance to the Mother Goddess at Ramanagar and its nearby areas.
“The cost of organising the festival has also gone up this year as prices of raw materials used in making the pandal have increased,” said Nalini Mandal, another local resident.