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Moscow celebrates Durga Puja for 20th time
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Moscow, Sept 26: The Russian capital city Moscow is
celebrating Durga Puja for the 20th time in a row this year as
more and more Russians are joining the Indian community in
the festivities.
It was still the Soviet Union, with curbs on public
celebration of religious festivities, when in 1989 enthusiasts
came together to make the Puja dream in Moscow a reality.
To bypass the Soviet rules, the first Durga puja was
organised in a local House of Culture as an Indian cultural
event and two priests were specially flown in from Calcutta.
Over the past 20 years after changing several venues for
almost last decade, Durga Puja is annually held in the
Inter-Club of the Peoples' Friendship University, where most
of the students from India and Bangladesh study.
"Our first Puja was inaugurated by Swami Lokeswarananda
of Ramakrishna Mission. Since then Swami Jyotirupananda who is
the founder of Moscow Ramakrishna Math has been conducting our
puja and is the president of our Moscow Durga Puja Committee,"
Debasmita Moulick of Moscow Durga Puja Committee told.
Moscow Ramakrishna Mission has many Russian followers who
actively participate in Puja; some of them attend regular
Sanskrit classes held at the Mission.
"We also are joined by professors and students of the
Moscow State Institute of International Affairs (MGIMO) who
are taught Bengali and are the future diplomats of Russia.
"Then there are Russian academicians, Indologists and
people specialising in oriental culture who make it a point to
visit our puja every year. And indeed there are many Russians
who simply adore India, find our colourful festivals
fascinating, who after 'pratima darshan' queue up for 'bhog'
and 'prasad'," Moullick said.
Financed by the contributions of the Indian community,
the Durga Puja Committee now has an annual Puja magazine
Aaratrika and a permanent website.
Bureau Report
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