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Kolkata Durga Puja features in London carnival

From the UK, the Camden and Birmingham Bengali Association Midlands Pujas participated in the event. "This initiative is brilliant to bring Kolkata and London closer," the spokesperson said.

, and SUBHASHIS MITTRA

October 10, 2022 . 9:54 PM

4 min read

Members of Camden and Birmingham Bengali Association Midlands Pujas,UK carrying idols of Goddess Durga in a vessel on way to Tower Bridge on river Thames London for immersion . The vessels touched important landmarks- Westminster,the London Eye, the Embankment, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. Photographs: Facebook- Heritage Bengal Global (HBG)UK

History was created on the Thames river in London when boats sailed from Westminster Pier to the downstream and back on the river carrying idols of the Goddess Durga worshipped in the UK along with cutouts of two popular Puja committees in Kolkata in eastern India featured prominently in the Durga Puja Carnival.

The carnival was watched by Londoners and tourists who stood at different vantage points along the river bank to see the boats skim like birds on the stream.

**Vessel carrying the Durga Idols and members of Camden and Birmingham Bengali Association Midlands Pujas,UK in river Thames, London**

The two Kolkata pujas are the Baghbazar Sarbojonin, which is over 100 years old and known for its traditional 'shabeki' idol, and the Bhawanipur 75 Palli, said a spokesperson of Heritage Bengal Global (HBG), a UK-based group of the Bengali diaspora.