By — Dilip Guha

As Durga Puja draws closer, Delhi NCR is coming alive with preparations for one of the most eagerly awaited festivals of the year. Across the city, puja committees are putting the finishing touches to pandals, idols, cultural programmes and community celebrations, reflecting the deep-rooted presence of Bengali culture in the National Capital Region.

Among the most prominent celebrations is the Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samity of Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), which enters its 51st year this year. The Puja will be held from October 15 to 21 at the Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Co-operative Puja Ground, K Block, CR Park.

The history of Durga Puja in Delhi, however, goes back more than a century. The city’s first recorded Sarbojanin Durga Puja was organised at Timarpur in 1909, although the celebration continued only for a few years. The following year, the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja began in 1910 and has continued over the decades, making it one of the oldest surviving Durga Puja traditions in Delhi NCR.

As the Bengali population grew in the capital during the 1950s and 1960s, more community pujas emerged, including those at New Delhi Kali Bari, Mata Sundari Road and Karol Bagh. These celebrations helped establish Durga Puja not merely as a religious observance but as an important expression of Bengali community life and cultural identity in Delhi.

A significant chapter in this journey began with the establishment of Chittaranjan Park, then known as the EPDP Colony, as a settlement for Bengali families. By the 1970s, Durga Puja had become an integral part of community life in the area.

The Co-operative Durga Puja Samity was formally established in 1976, and the celebration gradually grew in scale. A major landmark came with the introduction of the Mega Pandal concept, with the Samity recreating the Victoria Memorial of Kolkata as its pandal. The initiative established CR Park as one of Delhi’s most prominent destinations for elaborate Durga Puja celebrations, with subsequent years witnessing replicas and interpretations inspired by iconic architectural and cultural landmarks.

Over the years, the CR Park Co-operative Puja has received numerous awards and recognitions for its themes, craftsmanship and presentation. What began as a community celebration has evolved into a major cultural attraction, drawing visitors from across Delhi NCR.

A 51st-year celebration rooted in tradition

This year’s theme, “From the Earth to Art — Reviving India’s Golden Fibre & Green Gold,” places the spotlight on jute and bamboo, two natural materials deeply connected with India’s traditional crafts and livelihoods.

Jute, widely known as the “Golden Fibre,” has played an important role in Bengal’s economic and cultural history, while bamboo, often described as “Green Gold,” has been part of traditional Indian life and craftsmanship for generations. The 2026 pandal brings the two materials together through weaving-inspired patterns, natural textures and sustainable artistic techniques.

Kaushik Chattopadhyay, President of the Samity, said, “Stepping into our 51st year with a theme built on jute and bamboo feels right, because these are materials our ancestors worked with. My hope is that every visitor carries home a little more respect for the craftsmen and the natural materials that built it,”.

Secretary Saurav Chakravorty said the preparations had required considerable patience and craftsmanship, while emphasising that the Puja was meant for everyone, not only residents of CR Park. Community events such as Anandamela, cultural evenings and Sindoor Khela are expected to add to the festive atmosphere.

The celebrations will also feature the popular Bhog (Langar), including Nolen Gurer Payesh, served on eco-friendly areca plates. The organisers expect the community kitchen to serve around 15,000–20,000 devotees over the three days of Saptami, Ashtami and Navami.

Another major attraction is the food court, offering an extensive range of cuisines, from traditional Bengali delicacies and sweets to North Indian, Mughlai, Chinese, seafood, Korean dishes and fast food.

This year, the Durga Puja celebrations at Co-operative Ground C.R. Park will bring together a vibrant mix of local talent and artists from Kolkata and Mumbai. The cultural programme will feature Aagomoni with a live Mahalaya rendition, Kolkata-based urban folk and playback artist Arko Mukherjee, a dance-drama by local children, Zee Sa Re Ga Ma fame Madhurima Basu, Bengali rock band Hattimatim, Dhunuchi by the Cooperative Durga Puja Samity, Indian playback vocalist Sushmita Biswas, the local C.R. Park talent presentation Dasavatharm, and rock band Bombay Dream Live. The line-up will also include Indian folk artiste Deep Chatterjee, presenting Baul, Jhumur and folk fusion; retro Bollywood singer Miran Roy; and Mayuri Saha ‘Maestro Mayuri’, an Indian playback and classical vocalist known for her appearance on Sony TV Indian Idol Season 15.

Where faith meets art and community

The scale of CR Park’s Puja reflects the changing character of Durga Puja in Delhi. From the intimate community celebrations of the early decades to today’s elaborate pandals attracting thousands of visitors, the festival has evolved alongside the city itself.

Yet, at its heart, the celebration remains rooted in community participation, devotion and cultural memory. The use of jute and bamboo in this year’s pandal adds another dimension to that tradition, linking the festival’s artistic spectacle with India’s craft heritage and the growing emphasis on sustainable practices.

The Co-operative Ground Puja has become a major fixture on Delhi’s festive calendar. Its journey from a neighbourhood celebration to a large-scale cultural event mirrors the wider story of Durga Puja in Delhi NCR — a story that began with early community worship in places such as Timarpur and Kashmere Gate and gradually expanded into the grand pandals of CR Park.

For generations of Bengali families and for visitors who have made these celebrations part of their annual calendar, Durga Puja in Delhi is now more than a festival. It is a living expression of faith, craftsmanship, community and the enduring cultural identity of Bengal in the National Capital Region.