Cork’s diverse 5,000-strong Indian community to mark Durga Puja festival

THE Cork Indian community are preparing for their biggest event of the year – their take on Durga Puja, the biggest festival in India.

It is centred around worship of the goddess Durga, and is celebrated for nine days usually in the month of September or October.

A one-day event is taking place at Mahon Community Centre this Sunday, with the organiser explaining that they try to pack in nine days’ worth of fun in one - including worship as well as performances from talented volunteers.

Rohini Roy, one of the organisers, told The Echo that the festival aims “to give people a slice of their home”, explaining: “it is essentially our Christmas so it is hard for people who can’t travel back to India for it, we all miss home.”

With about 5,000 Indians calling Cork their home, more than 900 people are expected at this year’s event.

Bishwamitra Thakur, one of the main founders of Durga Puja Cork, and the Vice President of Information Security at Clearstream told The Echo:

“We aim to welcome not just Indians, but the locals too as Durga Puja is a festival where everyone is welcome - we don’t charge entry fee for anyone for this event, which attracts a lot of young crowd too like Indian students studying in Ireland, who feel homesick during this time of the year.”

PhD student Risov Das said: “This is my first time away from home during Durga Puja, which makes me unhappy naturally, but the news of Durga Puja in Cork has revived my feelings again. I am really looking forward to visiting the venue.”

There are 45 volunteers organising the festival, and Rohini explains: “We all have full time jobs as well - there are doctors, engineers, students, professors etc, and it is very nice to see the whole community come together.”

Head Of Technology at the Prosys Group Milind Rokde agreed: “Being a part of the Durga Puja organizing committee has not just been about the event day, but about the journey of friendship, challenges, and shared joy. Beyond the planning, it’s the camaraderie built over meetings, often concluding in a cozy pub over pints, that truly defines the heartwarming essence of this experience.”

The event is not limited to people from a certain region in India, which is a culturally diverse country, and instead seeks to unite all these different cultures..”

Dr Saibal Roy, a senior scientist at Tyndall and Professor at the School of Physics in UCC added: “I have been living in Cork since 2002, and I’m pleased to observe that over the years the Cork Durga Puja has become a metaphor of Indian national religio-cultural identity and social integration alike through the active participation and celebration by the people from all Indian states/linguistic regions.”