Bangladesh Puja Association’s 10th Mahalaya in Sydney

Image: Collected

The 10th Mahalaya celebration of the Bangladesh Puja Association (BPA) was held in Sydney, Australia, amid a religious atmosphere, Bengali culture, and festive joy.

A large number of expatriate Bengalis attended the event held on Sunday, October 4, at the Roselands Community Centre in Sydney. Through Chandi Path (recitation of hymns from the Chandi), music, and stage performances, the event turned into a vibrant gathering of religious emotion, Bengali heritage, and the expatriate community.

The entire event reflected the emotion and expectation that Mahalaya creates in the hearts of Bengalis with the news of the upcoming Sharadaiya Durga Puja. The event placed special emphasis on highlighting Bengali religious and cultural traditions to the new generation growing up abroad.

At the beginning of the program, the President of the Bangladesh Puja Association delivered a welcome speech greeting everyone present. In his speech, he highlighted the history and religious and cultural significance of Mahalaya, while also reminiscing about the early days of BPA's Mahalaya celebrations in Sydney. He shared that the initiative, which began on a limited scale in 2016, has over time become one of the most well-known autumn events among the expatriate Bengali community.

The Bangladesh Puja Association held its first Mahalaya in 2016 at the Kogarah School of Arts in Kogarah, Sydney. Since that beginning, BPA has been consistently organizing Mahalaya every year. Over time, both the scale of the event and its importance in the community have grown. With the 2026 event, the organization touched the significant milestone of celebrating its 10th Mahalaya.

This year's Mahalaya stage performance was conducted under the supervision of Sumita Dey and Anupam Goswami. Under their planning and direction, the atmosphere of the Devipaksha (fortnight of the Goddess) was brought to life through music, poetic recitations, and various stage presentations. The event became emotional and aesthetic through symbolic representations of autumn's invocation, the arrival of the Goddess, and the awakening of good forces.

One of the main attractions of the event was the Chandi Path. Jyoti Biswas delivered the Chandi Path in his voice, accompanied by Janmejay Roy on the tabla. The solemn sound of the Chandi Path and the rhythm of the tabla created a deep spiritual atmosphere at the venue. The combination of the Chandi Path with music and stage performances reconnected the audience with the familiar ambiance of autumn in Bengal.

For Bengalis, Mahalaya is not just a religious occasion; it is deeply tied to the feelings surrounding the arrival of Durga Puja. Generations of Bengalis have countless memories associated with the blue autumn sky, white kashful (catkin flowers), the scent of shiuli flowers, dawn Chandi Path, and Agamani (arrival) songs. For Bengalis living abroad, these memories and traditions hold even greater significance. Even thousands of kilometers away, such events offer an opportunity to reconnect with their roots and cultural identity.

Such events also hold special importance for children and teenagers growing up in Sydney. By participating with their families and community, they get the opportunity to become familiar with the Bengali language, music, religious rituals, and the heritage of Bengali festivals. Thus, the Mahalaya celebration goes beyond a single-day event to become an important medium for passing on Bengali culture and heritage to the next generation abroad.

Sunday’s event became even livelier with the presence of community members from various parts of Sydney. Meeting acquaintances after a long time, exchanging greetings, and sharing the joy of the upcoming Durga Puja transformed the gathering into a social platform alongside a religious occasion. It also reflected a resolve to further strengthen mutual harmony, friendship, and community bonds.

The 10th Mahalaya celebration carries special significance for BPA. This year's Mahalaya reflects how a religious and cultural initiative that began a decade ago can maintain continuity and become an established event on foreign soil. Behind this long journey lie the contributions of executive committees from various terms, artists, technicians, volunteers, members, and well-wishers of the organization.

At the end of the event, Bangladesh Puja Association Secretary Dibakar Samaddar offered a vote of thanks. He expressed sincere gratitude and thanks to the attending audience, artists, individuals involved in Chandi Path and musical performances, event directors, executive committee members, volunteers, and everyone who directly and indirectly helped make the event a success.

Dibakar Samaddar said that behind the success of a community event lies the time, effort, and sincere cooperation of many people. It is as a result of everyone's combined efforts that the 10th Mahalaya of the Bangladesh Puja Association was completed successfully.

The Mahalaya event concluded amidst the sounds of Chandi Path, the atmosphere of arrival, and the vibrant presence of expatriate Bengalis. As the event ended, many attendees took home the joy of the upcoming Durga Puja and memories of Bengal's familiar autumn.

Thousands of kilometers away from Bangladesh, in Sydney, Australia, the Bangladesh Puja Association's 10th Mahalaya celebration served as a reminder that geographical distance cannot sever people from their roots and heritage. Through language, culture, religious traditions, and collective celebrations, those roots live on from generation to generation.

Through its 10th Mahalaya celebration, the Bangladesh Puja Association welcomed the upcoming Sharadaiya Durga Puja, spreading the news of the Goddess's arrival in the hearts of expatriate Bengalis.