Dear Houston Durgabari family,
Please accept our warmest wishes for a safe and healthy holiday season. As we get ready to bid farewell to the year 2020, possibly the most unusual year in our lifetime, let us take you through a brief recap of the fourth and last quarter of the year.
Sharodotsav 2020 was celebrated this year under completely unforeseen circumstances. Durga Puja was held on October 21st -25th, Kojagori Lakshmi Puja on October 30th, and Kali Puja on November 14th. The ongoing pandemic made it extremely difficult and forced adoption of a virtual format for many programs. However, the zeal and interest of Puja Chairs Subhas Das, Aloke Sarkar, and Sandip Bhattacharya, HDBS volunteers, and the community remained strong overcoming all challenges to befit as a 20-year milestone Puja celebration.
Led by the head priest Buddhadev Bhattachariya, the priest panel conducted all religious rituals as per established Tithi and rituals. Puja, Chandi Path, Anjali, Arati, Puja Sankalpa and Yagna were performed in accordance with full religious norms. The temple was beautifully decorated, and the entire premises adorned with scintillating decorative lights bringing a semblance of puja atmosphere even at Covid times. The entire Puja was live streamed on HDBS YouTube channel allowing the community members to participate and immerse in Puja, albeit virtually. A wide array of cultural programs was presented by local talents across all age groups as well as artists from abroad. There was always the question of the financial burden of the puja in this pandemic year in the back of our mind. With an emphatic sigh of relief, we are happy to announce that this year’s puja was almost as successful financially as any normal year. It is a testament to your love for Houston Durgabari as it is for the volunteers’ devotion.
2020 was also Election year for Houston Durgabari. It sure was a challenging endeavor to conduct voting during a pandemic. With partial or sometimes even full lockdown, the virus spreading like wildfire in the community, and people’s fear of assembling in a group, the Election Commission had to devise a system from scratch, inventing new rules and processes to hold a safe and all-inclusive vote. In the end, the entire process for nominations of candidates, mail-in voting, and in-person drive-through voting went relatively smoothly, and the new members of the 2021-2022 Executive Board were elected on December 6, 2020. The election was successful due to the efforts of the four Commission members, Amal Bhattacharya, Abhoy Das, Anindya Chakrabarti, and Sunil Rudra; Anjan Chaudhury, representing the Chairman of the Council of Trustees; and a handful of dedicated volunteers. Durgabari never had an election like this one. Despite that, the voter turnout probably set a record. In all, 549 members cast votes for the candidates of their choice. The Election Commission is grateful to all the volunteers and thanks the voters for participating in the election process.
Houston Durga Bari Society celebrated Pran Pratishtha Divas on December 6, 2020. It was a day of devotion and blessings to celebrate the establishment of Ashtadhatu deities at Durgabari. Pran Pratistha Divas started with Abhishekam Puja, followed by Anjali, Bhog, Arati, and Hom. The entire Puja and a short musical presentation based on Rabindranath Tagore’s song “Matrimandir Punya Angana” was streamed live on the HDBS YouTube channel.
On December 19, Soubhadra Sarkar and Jhilmil Hatty conducted an Online Bingo game for the families of Durga Bari. Three rounds were played with the squares of the bingo boards being Bengali words commonly used and prevalent to our culture. This winter activity saw three winners taking home prizes.
Kalabhavan Day was held on December 23 on the HDBS YouTube Channel. Kalabhavan Day showcases the talent of our students under the able tutelage of our distinguished faculty. Presentations were made featuring the following areas: Art, Bharatnatyam Dance, Bridge, Chess, Classical Vocal Music, Contemporary Vocal Music, Elocution and Drama, Kathak Dance, Odissi Dance, SAT Prep, and Tabla. The grand finale was an online graduation ceremony featuring the Class of 2020.
Despite the second surge of the pandemic during the winter months, we are beginning to see rays of hope as some of our community members have already started receiving the first dose of the vaccine. A new Executive Board is taking over on January 1, 2021, and we hope that with Ma Durga’s blessings we will be able to safely reopen the temple in the not-too-distant future and welcome you back to your very own Durgabari!
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