Durga Puja bhog a big draw at pandals

Pune: With Durga Puja around the corner, one of the things that devotees and food enthusiasts look forward to is the bhog or the delicious food offered to the Goddess.
For the Bengali community residing in Pune, bhog serves as a nostalgic reminder of their roots and the flavours of their homeland, while for others, it presents an opportunity to explore and appreciate the rich culinary heritage of West Bengal.
To ensure the authenticity of the bhog, many pandals in Pune go the extra mile by bringing in skilled cooks from Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. These culinary experts prepare a wide array of traditional Bengali dishes, such as khichuri (a mix of rice and lentils), labra (mixed vegetables), beguni (eggplant fritters), and payesh (rice pudding). The aroma of these delicacies waft through the air, enticing visitors to the pandals.
Arun Chakraborty, who runs the Bengalis in Pune Facebook group with over 20,000 members, said, "People want to know whether the bhog is free or paid. Some people prefer to go to pandals that serve free bhog, but others prefer to go to pandals that charge for bhog since they queue is less, the food is packed properly, and so on."
Poona Bango Sammilani in Hadapsar has been serving free bhog to thousands of visitors for 22 years. Subir Biswas, president of Poona Bango Sammilani, emphasized the importance of bhog, stating, "Visitors measure the success of a pandal by their bhog and the way they serve it to them. Along with the traditional khichudi and labra, we serve different varieties of Bengali sweets and misti doi. Not only members of the pandal but others also give donations because of which we have managed to keep the bhog free of cost all these years and hope to continue doing so. We need about Rs 7-8 lakhs to make bhog for all three days."
Agradoot Bangosamaj in Kharadi, which is celebrating its 7th Durga Puja, serves bhog to 7,000-8,000 people daily for all three days. Bablu Maity, the president of Agradoot Bangosamaj, said, "We have a cook and his team, a total of eight people, from Panskura from Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal. They come to Pune two days before Panchami and prepare khichudi, labra, beguni, rosagulla, sweet chutney and papad over the three days. Everything is done in the traditional way, right from cutting the vegetables to cooking. The bhog is then served by our members to the visitors."
Banga Bharati in Pimpri-Chinchwad, which has been serving bhog for the last 39 years, involves its members in the preparation and serving of the divine offering. Amit Kumar Mondal, its president, said, "The preparation itself is done with devotion, the ladies start the preparation after having a bath and doing the puja to symbolise purification. The bhog that is offered to the goddess is cooked separately, offered to the goddess and then mixed into the food that is served as bhog for devotees."
The significance of bhog extends beyond its culinary appeal; it is a symbol of devotion, community, and cultural heritage. The aroma of bhog, the devotion with which it is prepared, and the joy of sharing it with others make it an integral part of the Durga Puja celebrations, leaving a lasting impression on the hearts, minds and taste buds of all who participate.