Chennai: Bengalis want land for Maa Durga Temple

CHENNAI: Land for building a temple for Maa Durga and a separate maidan for erecting pandal during the most famous Durga Puja are some of the exclusive demands of the migrant Bengali community living in Chennai, who find it difficult to continue their higher studies in Tamil Nadu due to the reservation policy.

As the political temperature in Tamil Nadu is at its peak with polls just a couple of days away, members of the community lay stress on good quality roads, drinking water and uninterrupted power supply besides their exclusive demands.

South Madras Cultural Association, which organises one of the largest Durga pujas in town with an average footfall of more than one lakh per day, wants the next government to allot land for building Maa Durga temple that would also have a community hall.

“SMCA and other organisations associated with us don’t have a community hall for organising welfare activities. Most of the money that we collect through donation goes in paying the rent for the hall where we organise durga puja and other programmes,” Meena Ganguly, member of SMCA and guest lecturer of politics and administration department at Madras University, told Deccan Chronicle.

As the association organises the biggest Durga puja pandal in the city, it would be nice if the government provides a small ground for the organisation, she said. “It would be helpful for us in organising such events. If the government cannot provide us land, they can at least earmark a community hall for conducting these pujas,” she said.

Durga Puja also known, as Sharodtsav in Bengali is a famous Bengali festival, which is also celebrated in other North Indian states. It is celebrated for six days.
Ms Ganguly, who has been living here for the past 22 years, also said the next government should also look into the issue of why most of young Bengalis, who have been born and brought up in Tamil Nadu, are forced to continue their higher studies outside the state. The existing reservation policy has to be reviewed in order to ensure that people from all walks of life pursue higher studies in Tamil Nadu.

Since Bengalis are scattered across the city, they want the next government to focus more on civic issues like better roads, better transport facilities and better drainage system.

Though Bengalis are generally politically aware and active, Debashish Mukherjee, who has been in the city for 29 years and a member of Bengal association and SMCA, says since most of the Bengalis have white-collar jobs they are not politically aware in the state.

Though the old-timers want politicians to take care of their community, youngsters seem to be dismissive about elections. Rupam Das, who has been living in the city for 22 years,  said, “The other reason why Bengalis don’t show much interest is they don’t understand the language that fluently. So they find themselves aloof with the entire politics. Many of them will go for a tour as they get three days holiday.”

And for Bidita Mukherjee, a 24-year-old studying in Madras University, the three-day holiday is time to visit Kolkata. “I have been staying here for seven years and as we are getting three holidays, I will go to Kolkata. I don’t want any of the major political  parties to come to power in Tamil Nadu,” she said.