The Story Behind Bappa Utsav Of Adwitiyas
This ladies wing of Ghaziabad stand united to celebrate Ganesh Utsav in Bengali Style & We are in Awe of their ways
By Tanusri Chakraborty
If you thought that Ganesh Chaturthi was only celebrated with much pomp and show in Maharashtra, you need to certainly read this.
An all woman’s team from the Bengali community of Indirapuram called Adwitiyas are gearing up for their 4th year of Ganesha festival. Yes, you heard that right. Bengalis are mostly known for their involvement in Durga Puja but Adwitiyas have put their heart and soul into the Ganesha festivities.
Since its inception in 2015, the celebrations are done completely in Bengali style following Bengali rituals and customs with Modak, Khichuri, Labra, flowers, and fruits as offerings to the deity. The Ganapati festivities are done on the Ganesh Chaturthi day with immersion on the very next day.
Everything from the arrangements for the cultural night to getting Bappa’s Idol home and securing the list of needed items for Puja is all checked and done by the ladies in the club. The prasad vitaran amongst devotees is also done by the in-house females while their families get to enjoy the celebrations.
The Adwitiyas community alongside their families are already associated with a Durga Puja Association named Prantic and are equally busy with Durga puja preparations every year during the Ganesh Utsav days. However, practice sessions for the cultural evening & every other details and arrangement for Ganesh Pujo have never taken a back seat ever. The festival of the obstacle remover God is celebrated with much zeal and enthusiasm.
“Adwitiyas meaning one who is unique or unrivaled. Every female at Adwitiyas is irreplaceable that ways.”
While the initial request was to the Prantic Cultural Association to celebrate Ganesh Puja, the association decided to stay more focused on the Durga Utsav. That is when the females from Prantic decided to take things into their hands and spear-headed the show from there. They collected funds and donations (Chanda) for the Wisdom God and soon initiated the Ganesh Pujo. With God’s will they have now slowly but steadily reached their 4th year of celebrations.
The name Adwitiyas was given by Mrs. Joysree Dasgupta, meaning “one who has no replacement or is unrivaled”. Every female at Adwitiyas is irreplaceable that ways. This beautiful name showcases how females will never settle for less and always achieve their goals despite the obstacles.
The community functions systematically and distributes the responsibilities of the Ganesh Puja evenly. The event managers / co-ordinators change every year circulating the responsibility amongst the Adwitiyas, giving importance to all the members and keeping everyone involved. Adwitiyas also organize Christmas parties every year for its members at a nominal cost. There are plans also in progress for Adwitiyas to venture into CSR initiatives.
Year Wise Organizing Committee Details of Adwitiyas:
Ganesh Utsav Year | Organizing Committee Members |
2015 | Mrs. Joyshree Mukherjee & Mrs. Moumita Roy |
2016 | Mrs. Parbati Bhattacharya & Mrs. Sharbori Ganguly |
2017 | Mrs. Rina Majumdar & Mrs. Chandrani Choudhury |
2018 | Mrs. Angana Roy & Mrs. Soma Sharma |
This year too, the ladies from Adwitiyas will wear color-coded saree combinations to mark the celebrations. There is also prasad distribution in the afternoon and a culturally enriched evening followed by an all vegetarian dinner at night.
We at Winning Stree congratulate the AdwitiyaStrees on stepping into their fourth year of celebrations. More power to you Adwitiyas!!
