A Diwali with Durga in London

KOLKATA: An idol created by Kumartuli artisans for the London Sharad Utsav (LSU) Durga Puja will now be on display on October 19 and October 20 at the famous Bloomsbury festival. Much to the delight of the Indian diaspora in the UK, the idol display coincides with Kali Puja and Diwali.
On January 21, TOI reported that the 101-year-old School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, the only university outside India and Bangladesh to run a full-fledged Bengali degree course right up to offering doctorate degrees, has partnered with London Sharad Utsav (LSU) to float the Bengal Heritage Project (BHP) and idol makers of Kumartuli would be brought from Kolkata to create their piece of art in London.
Sanjukta Ghosh, project coordinator of SOAS, said, “This Puja, Londoners saw Bengal's ancient tradition of clay idolmaking. Now they will get to see the finished statue of Durga at the Bloomsbury festival on the SOAS campus. What a wonderful coincidence that Kali Puja and Diwali fall during these two days.“
She added, “To coincide with the Bloomsbury festival, SOAS' South Asia Institute has organised the two-day display of the idol along with dance performance and story telling on the mythology of Durga and Kali.“
BHP was launched in London in March, culminating in the idol-making and a related workshop that commenced at the LSU Puja on September 28 and went on for the next three Puja days. Anirban Mukhopadhyay , president, LSU, said, “It was such a unique experience for Londoners. While the existing fibre idol was being worshipped at Nelson Hall inside the Ealing Town Hall, at Wal pole Room next door, a clay idol was being made by the Kumartuli artisans.“
Around 10,000 visitors who came to the LSU Puja saw Kumartuli artisans Kaushik Ghosh and Sudarshan Das making the idol.
After the Pujas, the idol was moved to the historic cloisters of the Paul Webley Wing in Senate House (North Block) of SOAS, about nine miles away . It was on this campus that the idol got its splendour, much to the wonder of the students and teachers of SOAS. Ed Simson, director, SOAS, went to the idolmaking venue, sometimes more than once a day .
The idol is now ready and will be a part of the Bloomsbury festival. Made of garden clay that is sold in England, it serves as an iconic image of community-inspired art and heritage of global importance.