Soaking in the Bengali flavour when out of Bengal

By celebrating Pujo, of course! Romal Laisram lists the best pandal experiences across Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad that one ought to visit this festive season, during one of your travels.

Image used for representational purpose. (Express Illustration| Tapas Ranjan)

While Kolkata is absolutely abuzz right now with pandals outdoing each other — that come alive this Pujo season — many other Indian cities aren’t too far behind, with each of their own unique twists.

BENGALURU

The city is now home to over 13 lakh Bengalis and therefore the number of pandals have substantially increased over the years. With whole localities being named after Bengali litterateurs including Rabindranath Tagore — RT Nagar, it’s no surprise that Pujo bhogs and pandal hopping are now very popular seasonal pastimes in the city. Here are the five most popular pandals that you can visit during the five-day festivities:

Bengalee Association, Ulsoor
Sarathi Socio-Cultural Trust, Koramangala
Socio Cultural Association, Indiranagar
Barsha Bengali Association, Haralur
Sanskritik Bengali Association Bangalore, Jaya Prakash Nagar

CHENNAI

Madras has never been known as a centre for Bengalis and the population is still estimated to be below a lakh. This, however, does not mean the city shies away from celebrating the arrival of Uma every single year. The local Bangla-speaking population, however, draw a close connection to Tamil Nadu, thanks to the strong ties established many years ago by Swami Vivekananda, who was originally from Kolkata. Chennai celebrates the Devi in these five prominent pandals:

The Bengal Association, T Nagar
Dakshini Society, Anna Nagar
Dakshin Chennai Prabasi Cultural Association, Navalur
South Madras Cultural Association, Thiruvanmiyur
Madras Kali Bari, West Mambalam

DELHI

If the capital city’s Bengali population could secede Chittaranjan Park as a separate city in itself, they would! Jokes apart, the population of Bengalis in Delhi is easily over 20 lakh and those that cannot go back home to West Bengal for Pujo, make the most of the city’s offerings and revel in dhaker baddi and dhunuchi naach to their heart’s content. Pandal hopping has become a reality in Delhi over the last few decades and one can even say that it is the best experience after Kolkata, though we must admit, it’s no match. If in Delhi, here’s where you need to head for some pure Pujo indulgences.

Chittaranjan Park Kalibari
Mela Ground, CR Park
Kashmiri Gate, Old Delhi
Kali Bari, Mayur Vihar
Matri Mandir Samity, Safdarjung Enclave

HYDERABAD

The Nizam’s city has seen an influx of Bengalis over the last few years and the current estimates are close to five lakh proud probashis. With a close cultural connection owing to Sarojini Naidu (née Chattopadhyay) and how she called this city her second home, it isn’t surprising that Hyderabad also joins in the yearly festivities with aplomb and fervour. The five pandals below are must-visits if you love all things ‘bong.’