The enchanting chant of “chandi path” fills up the pre-dawn hours marking the beginning of “Devi Paksha” and the invocation to the mother Goddess to descend on earth – “Jago Tumi Jago”.
In 1950, the first Sarbajanin Durga Puja was held under the initiatives and tutelage of a few Professors of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. This was the pre-cursor to the establishment of a library-“Bharati Pathaghar” at Margosa Road, Malleswaram. In 1959 when the All India Literary Conference was hosted in Bangalore, work started towards the formation of the Bengalee Association finally registered on 16th September 1959. Besides the Durga Puja, the Saraswati Puja, Nababarsho, Rabindra Jayanti, Kali Puja continued to be annually held. The Bengalee Association celebrated Tagore’s birth centenary in collaboration with the Government of Mysore in the Town Hall, Bangalore in May 1961. A Board of Trustees was formed in July 1966. In 1967 Art & Bengali classes commenced and in 1968, the annual Durga Puja Souvenir “Maitree” was launched.
In the absence of its own premises, until 1980 the Bengalee Association’s Durga Puja was held at various locations around Bangalore like the Vasawi Dharmashala Basavanagudi, Kutchalamba Hall near Madhavan Park, National College, Basavanagudi and the Sindhi Hall Frazer Town. The Bangalore City Corporation in its benevolence in 1977 allocated land on Assaye Road to the Bengalee Association in April 1977. A Ladies Wing was formed thereafter and in October 1977 the foundation stone for the present building – Tagore Cultural Centre – was laid. Within a period of two-and-a-half years, the building was inaugurated on 4th April 1980 which led to the Durga Puja being held for the first time in the premises of the Bengalee Association in 1980. Additional adjacent land was granted in September 1982 and the Durga Puja became an even bigger event, spread over two buildings. The house-bulletin commenced in 2001 and the Bengalee Association took the initiative to organize the annual Durga Puja immersion procession comprising of all Durga Pujas of Bangalore from the KSCA Cricket Stadium to Ulsoor lake.
Over the next two decades, holding the Annual Durga Puja inside the Bengalee Association premises was beset with multiple challenges. Its huge popularity, overwhelming crowds, traffic challenges and logistic difficulties led to the Durga Puja moving out to St. Aloysius School Assaye Road, RBANMS Grounds, Gayatri Vihar Palace Grounds and the Manpho Convention Centre. The Durga Puja celebrations returned to the Bengalee Association premises in 2019 and has been continuing in the same location since them.
From the first Durga Puja in Bangalore in 1950, this year 2025 marks the 75th year of our Durga Puja which is being celebrated on Assaye Road by the Bengalee Association, Bengaluru.
Heaven & Earth rejoices at Maa Durga’s victory and “Durgatinashini” concludes through a mantra narration which is the refrain of mankind’s supplication before the Supreme Power: “ya devi sarbabhuteshu shakti rupena sanksthita. Namastashwai Namastashwai Namastashwai namo namaha”.
