Come Durga Puja and Odias living abroad go all nostalgic, missing the celebrations, family gatherings and feasts back home.
So it’s with Odias living in Seattle, US. Separated by the long distance from their motherland in Odisha, these expatriates come together during festivals to celebrate their common culture and belief.
And Durga Puja is the most celebrated, when people dressed in traditional attires soak in the ambience and festivities in their ‘home away from home’.
Accordingly on Durga Asthami morning, Woodinville Grange Hall in Seattle resounded with chants of “Ya Devi Sarva Bhuteshu” and traditional Hula Huli as devotees flocked to the ‘Puja mandap’.
The puja was organised by Seattle’s Odia community, which is part of the Odisha Society of Americas (OSA), an umbrella association. This organisation arranges religious festivals, social get-togethers and cultural events to fete Odia culture and arts.
The OSA North-West Chapter has been organising the annual Durga Puja ever since Seattle resident Sachala Das started it on a low scale in 2007. Now, around 180 to 200 members of the Odia community participate in the celebration. Amulya Kumar Das, president of OSA North-West Chapter, along with his wife Sachala take charge of the puja very happily.
However, unlike in Odisha, the puja in Seattle is a one-day affair. Sachala explained, “Due to the busy schedule of the organisers and participants, they pick either Asthami or Navami, whichever is closer to the weekend, for performing the puja.”
Volunteers from the Odia community take responsibility of all the tasks related to the puja, ensuring to make it a smooth affair. And the preparations begin 2-3 months ahead of the big day.
Daisy, a volunteer for the decoration team, said, “Aware of the environmental impacts of immersion, we pray to the same idol every year. The Maa Durga’s idol is worshipped in Kent temple round the year. Around 2-3 weeks ahead of the puja, we move the idol to our treasurer Subhashree Nanda’s house. There, the idol is freshly painted and is adorned with a new saree and ornaments .On the day of puja, it is shifted to the community hall. After the puja, we again shift the idol to the temple.”
What is unique, however, that IT professionals take over the task of performing the rituals. “We don’t have a full tine priest. So IT professionals take charge of the rituals,” revealed Sachala, herself a software engineer. “Except for this, the bhog and cultural programmes totally reflect the ethos and culture of Odisha,” she added proudly.
The bhog comprises Chuda Ghasa and the community dinner is pure Odia menu. “Even the food supplier for the event belongs to our community. It’s our responsibility to convey our culture to the next generation. Keeping this in mind, we try to recreate everything as per traditional Odia culture,” she said.
As for the cultural programmes, children from 5 years of age to college students handle every department. Group leader Alisa Das, who is a 3rd year BBA student, said, “Most of us in our team are school students. Everyone does a lot of multitasking, on and off the stage. This year, we had planned a two-hour programme. It included Odissi dance, songs, drama and a group dance. We immensely enjoy this process of preparing for the event.”
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