Away from Bengal, when the Bürgerzentrum becomes our Home for five days

The voluminous grey clouds of the monsoon make way for fluffy, white, torn-cotton-ball-like clouds across the autumn sky. The ebullient stalks of kaash sway from head to toe across every green expanse of wilderness in Bengal, and something shifts inside us Bengalis. The entire community starts consulting the pink almanac of Benimadhab Sil, counting the days left until the arrival of her divine daughter, Uma, who makes her annual visit to her earthly paternal home, accompanied by her four children.

The Bengali diaspora, scattered all over the world, also feels the compelling emotions and sentimental need to welcome the Mother Goddess. And we, the Bengali community in Cologne, Germany, are no different. We devote ourselves to celebrating the victory of the divine warrior goddess, Devi Durga, over the almost indomitable demon Mahishasura.

The distance of more than 7,000 kilometres from our homeland does not diminish the festive spirit running through our Bengali veins. This year, too, the most prominent Indian cultural organisation in western Germany, the Indischer Kulturverein – Bharat Samiti, will organise its annual autumnal celebration of Durga Puja at the Bürgerzentrum in Chorweiler.

This year is particularly special for the organisation, as the Cologne Durga Puja will mark its thirty-fifth year in 2026, making it one of the longest-running and most popular Durga Puja celebrations in continental Europe.

As the maple and birch trees begin turning red and gold with the onset of the German Herbst (autumn), and the mercury begins to dip, the members of Bharat Samiti start holding online meetings to prepare for the puja. This mode of communication and planning, adopted during the two years of virtual puja celebrations in 2020 and 2021, has continued, with preparations beginning almost two months before the main event.

The meetings are designed to discuss almost every detail, including dates, timings, duration, decorations, food menus, visiting artists, and cultural programmes, to ensure a seamless, magnificent, and unforgettable Durgotsav experience for all members, patrons, and day visitors. Their numbers often reach 600–800 devotees per day, from Mahashashthi to Bijoya Dashami.

Often regarded as the biggest Durga Puja in Europe, the Cologne celebration draws visitors from distant German cities such as Münster, Mannheim, Frankfurt, and Mainz, as well as from nearby cities such as Aachen, Siegen, Düsseldorf, and Bonn. We have even met families who drive from Amsterdam and Brussels to meet their friends in Cologne during the puja weekend and participate in the festivities.

The puja is particularly popular among young students in Germany because of the special discounts offered to those who register. It also provides an opportunity for young Indian researchers and professionals to meet and connect with like-minded people from their community.

It is both deeply nostalgic and quietly awe-inspiring to think of how the founding members of Bharat Samiti—five Bengali gentlemen living in Germany, namely Herr Nabendu Sarkar, Herr Kali Basak, Herr Subir Goswami, Herr Kesto Sarkar, and Herr Tapan Bhattacharya, along with their spouses—felt an indescribable urge to preserve their religious traditions and cultural responsibilities.

Having moved away from their homeland to pursue their professional and personal goals, they initiated what is now popularly known among Indians in Europe as the Cologne Durga Puja.

Bharat Samiti was formed in 1992, when Bengalis and other Indians residing in and around Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf came together to begin the Durga Puja celebrations, joined by friends from across the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

More than three decades have passed, and the veteran founding member, Shri Subir Goswami—our mild-tempered, soft-spoken Subir Uncle—continued to serve as the principal purohit until 2022, when health issues compelled him to pass on the responsibility to younger members.

One unique feature of this puja is that it always follows the authentic dates prescribed by the Bengali panjika, without altering the schedule to accommodate convenient weekends or public holidays, as many puja organisers in the West do. This also means that the organisers and patrons must apply for leave well in advance to accommodate the long hours of preparation and celebration.

As a large-scale Indian cultural celebration, the five-day festival receives sponsorship from local Indian business and shop owners in Cologne, as well as advertising revenue and sponsorships from restaurants and hotels. However, it is funded primarily by donations from regular members, guests, and patrons.

The Bharat Samiti puja also attracts the attention of non-Bengali communities across North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as German and other European friends and well-wishers.

The puja is traditionally inaugurated on the evening of Shashthi by distinguished representatives of the Indian Consulate or the Oberbürgermeister, the Mayor of Cologne.

The shabeki pratima, made of fibre, was created by artist Prasanta Paul of Kumortuli, Kolkata. It follows the traditional style and appearance of the earthen idols used in Bengal, complete with their characteristic divine eyes.

The idol is placed on a wooden stage, with wooden frameworks and red-and-gold fabrics typically used to create the backdrop.

The religious rituals and traditions are performed with the same precision and devotion that one would experience in Bengal. From Devi Durga's bodhon, or sacred awakening, on Shashthi to the Nabapatrika snan on Saptami, from the Sandhi Puja performed at the auspicious transition between Ashtami and Nabami to the sindoor khela and mishti mukh on Dashami, every ritual is accompanied by the prescribed shlokas and the reverberating sound of the dhaak.

Many of the essential puja items, staples, and utensils are brought by members who travel to their hometowns in India during the course of the year.

The menu features traditional Bengali pujor bhog, with khichuri and paayesh, accompanied by Bengali sweets such as roshogolla and pantua.

As many as fifteen to twenty people are involved in preparing and cooking Maayer bhog and the daily lunch for visitors at the Cologne Durga Puja. More people often join in spontaneously to help chop vegetables or fry luchis.

It takes almost four hours to prepare lunch, and dinner requires a similar amount of time. Khichuri is served with labda, various paneer dishes, sweets, and chutney.

The Ashtami menu traditionally features peas pulao, aloor dom, navratan dal, and sweets. Other dishes often include phulkopir dalna, bandhakopir ghonto, aam dal, and aamshotter chutney.

To ensure that visitors do not miss Kolkata's mukhorochok, street-style snacks, the organisers have introduced a dedicated Kolkata street-food stall called Apanjon. Guests can purchase and enjoy phuchka, papri chaat, shingara, jhalmuri, beguni, and other mouth-watering delicacies while watching the cultural programmes.

The cultural programme is always elaborate and exciting, spanning the four days of the puja, excluding Dashami, when dhunuchi naach brings everyone together.

Preparations and rehearsals begin a month in advance, with members aged between five and seventy-five participating enthusiastically and devotedly.

Shashthi begins with Mahishasuramardini, inspired by Birendra Krishna Bhadra's legendary narration and the familiar songs from the iconic radio programme.

The festivities also feature mellifluous vocal performances and recitations, classical sitar, sarod, and tabla performances, as well as folk music. In many years, the audience can enjoy Garba performances alongside traditional Bharatanatyam and Kathak recitals by Indian artists from across Europe.

This year's special attractions include a Chhau dance performance by rural artists on Shashthi and a modern Indian classical-rock performance by students from Bonn on Saptami.

The Cologne Durga Puja stage represents art forms from different Indian states, bringing together the diverse traditions of India's performing arts.

There is also a Bollywood-style dance medley, performed predominantly by young men aged around fifteen, combining Western dance styles with familiar Bollywood moves.

Whether you belong to the Bengali diaspora in Germany or are a curious local German friend, a homesick student or a lonely professional arriving from a distant city, stepping into the Bürgerzentrum in Cologne for the first time; whether you are dressed in your finest silk or have forgotten to match your sweater with your panjabi; whether you can afford to contribute twenty euros or two hundred, the Cologne Durga Puja makes a family out of everyone who joins in.

It reminds us that Durga Puja is not merely about being in Bengal. It is an emotion we celebrate, experience, and cherish together.