Berlin/IBNS: While it is not uncommon to find the Bengali diaspora celebrating the annual autumn festival of Durga Puja, most celebrations and rituals are often curtailed for various reasons.But not this puja in Berlin.

Organised by Ignite e.V., a non-profit organization with promotion of Bengali culture and traditions as one of its key objectives, Berlin Sarbojonin Durgotshob, which entered its third year, in 2023, celebrates the full five-day event, including rituals such as Kumari Pujo and Sandhi Pujo.

With a pan-Indian appeal, the festival organised in the Sri Ganesh Hindu Temple in the German capital, is open to all, and has been seeing a rise in footfalls every year, said the organisers.

This year, the festival is being held from October 20 to 24.

The festival this year was inaugurated by Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany, Parvathaneni Harish, who also launched the festival magazine issue called ‘Pujo Barshiki’.

Programme highlights include theme-wise cultural events on all days, food festivals with focus on Indian women entrepreneurs, etc.

Arijit Patra, one of the organisers of the puja, said the group, which was started in 2020,has access to 1,77,000 Indians settled in Germany.

"During the pandemic in 2021, our first Durga Puja attracted 2,000 visitors and in 2022  the footfall surged to 5,000 visitors. The celebration created a huge interest in the local German society as well. This year we expect to welcome 10,000+ guests to be part of the celebration," he said.