Ghatakbari Puja is nearing 300 years, carrying the legacy of centuries-old Bengali culture and values without any break since the eighteenth century.
Traditional Durga Puja Rituals (Photo : Soubhab Naskar)
Ghatakbari Puja is nearing 300 years, carrying the legacy of centuries-old Bengali culture and values without any break since the eighteenth century.
This year, Ghatakbari is more organized to celebrate Durga Puja for 293 years.
It is all set to reach the historic milestone of 300 years in 2030, if there is no break in holding puja at the Jadavpur residence of the Ghataks.
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The descendants of the house have been keeping the rituals alive of their ancestors by organizing the Durga Puja. Prosenjit Ghatak, an engineer by profession, is the present head of the Ghatakbari.
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He said, “Braving different odds we are determined to continue the Durga Puja. No
matter which part of the world the family members live in, each one of us gets togeth- er in our ancestral house at Ramgarh every year without fail.”
“With restoration of normal life after Covid-19, this year we are relieved and more charged up to organize Durga Puja with all its pomp and grandeur, ” he added.
“The puja is celebrated for three days, maintaining all rituals, like those by our grandfather in Faridpur, Bangladesh. Despite financial strains, the present generation of Ghatakbari celebrates the Sarodutsav with sumptuous meals cooked in Bangladeshi style for three days. Food for 200 people is cooked by female members of our family everyday for three days to continue the legacy of the opulent zamindari past,” he added.
The Ghatakbari, some of its members were participants in the Quit India movement, has its own roots from Bichhri village, in the erstwhile Faridpur district of Bangladesh.
After settling in Ramgarh area of Jadavpur in the southern fringe of Kolkata, Shrishchandra Ghatak and Bibhushan Ghatak got involved in the freedom movement while continuing their age-old traditions of Durga Puja.
The delicious meals have luxury with two types of fish, including Bengalis’ most coveted hilsa at a time when most other barowari pujas (community) in the city feature mainly vegetarian food.
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