All the members of Muslim community in Kolkata’s 13/A Sarif Lane Alimuddin Street saved Durga Puja celebrations just for one Hindu Family. A grandiose celebration like Kolkata’s Durga Puja necessitates substantial planning and budgeting, which is no easy task. Of course, that had to be done for this one, and by people who had no idea how to do it.
Jayanta Sen, Mohammad Tauseef Rahman, and others living there initially formed a group, raised the necessary funds, and then purchased the Durga idol from Kumar Tuli. Kumar Tuli, a prominent hub for artists famed for producing clay Durga idols for each important Puja celebrated there. Due to COVID-19, the festival will remain a low-key occasion this year as well.
Social activist Mohammad Tauseef Rahman claims that the local Puja will serve to further strengthen the sense of communal harmony in the area. The peaceful coexistence of various religious groups there has a long history.
According to the residents, the Muslims who live in the Alimuddin Street neighborhoods are mostly lower middle class and speak Urdu. Tauseef Rahman claimed that this ritual dates back a long time, when we were young, we used to see people performing Durga puja and gathering Chanda. The Durga Puja event took place in the predominantly Muslim neighbourhood of Alimuddin Street fifteen years ago. And again after 15 years the celebration of Durga puja has been revived.