Overview
- On Oct. 23, 2026 reporters published first-person pieces describing how Durga Puja remains central to Bengali identity through memory, ritual and shared celebration.
- Writers contrast Kolkata’s months-long citywide transformation driven by elaborate pandals with smaller, more concentrated diaspora observances held in temples and church halls.
- Longstanding diaspora hubs provide scale and familiarity for emigrants, with Washington Kali Bari cited as a bridge between Kolkata’s mass spectacles and local temple pujas.
- Personal examples include a Glasgow puja in a large Paisley church where Mahishasuramardini performances continue and a family planning to visit Washington Kali Bari after three years away from Calcutta.
- The coverage explains that while form changes—shorter schedules, different venues, informal inclusivity—the festival’s music, food, rituals and social bonds keep Bengalis connected to home and to one another.