Mining bhog recipes: Here young & old join hands, hearts to cook, serve

Nagpur: Every Durga Pandal has a story to tell and a tradition to live up to. The CMPDI Pandal in Jaripatka is known for ‘self-made bhog’ which is cooked by the members themselves (without help from caterers) and served to over 5,000 devotees between Saptami and Navami. The 32-year-old legacy is being taken forward by an able team of experienced and young with utmost passion and dedication. Way back in 1991, a handful of determined people led by Anka Rao decided to hold Durga Puja at CMPDI Colony, especially for Bengalis residing in North Nagpur. Thirty two years have passed since then but the celebration has not seen a dull moment even as the baton of charge changed many hands.“Though we do the puja in the authentic Bengali way, for us Bengalis and non-Bengalis are equally important. That’s why most of our patrons, promoters and members are non-Bengalis,” said Rajesh Ralhan, president of the organizing committee and regional director of CMPDI-Nagpur. The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) puja is held under the aegis of Coal Employees Sarvajanik Durga Puja Mandal. The WCL staff too are prime members of the team.Punam Singh, who has been involved with the Pandal since 1997, almost single-handedly looks after the puja and rituals. “We don’t compromise on any ritual.. In fact, the association extends the celebrations to Kojagiri and Laxmi Puja as well,” said Singh.Secretary Siddhartha Basu said the team holds an array of cultural activities during the five days which are managed by various sub-committees. This time they organized a fancy dress contest for children, a musical programme, kavi sammelan and garba, besides dhunchi naach. The highlight of the function will be ‘Ravan Dahan’ be held at 6.30pm on Tuesday.The most unique thing about CMPD puja is the ‘bhog’ made and served by the committee members themselves. A team led by joint secretary Rahul Kar works tirelessly to satisfy the taste buds of devotees. About 15 active members make the bhog, which is shared by about 5,000 devotees from Saptami to Navami. “Right from buying grocery and vegetables to washing and cutting the veggies, to preparing the ‘bhog’ consisting of khichdi, chadchadi, sabji, payes, tomato chutney, everything is done by us,” says Kar.Vice-president Barun Kumar Gupta said that in a sense the puja serves like a reunion where all the retirees congregate to relive their nostalgic moments. “Unlike other pandals, we don’t face shortage of young hands. In fact, our young brigade is the major contributor to the cause,” says Ralhan.