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Amid tensions, Bangladesh set to celebrate Durga Puja

Bangladesh announced an additional one-day general holiday for Durga Puja after 8-point demand, including extra holidays, by a minority alliance….reports Asian lite News

Bangladesh is set to celebrate Durga Puja, the largest Hindu festival in the country, from October 9 to 13, with high security amid tensions.

The celebrations will be held in 32,666 pavilions of Bangladesh, police said.

Bangladesh announced an additional one-day general holiday for Durga Puja after 8-point demand, including extra holidays, by a minority alliance.

“Bangladesh government has announced a one-day extra holiday on the occasion of Durga Puja. Traditionally, there was one one-day holiday in Bangladesh for Durga Puja. But this time there will be two days of public holidays. This will be added to two days of the weekend. In total, four days of holidays will be observed in Bangladesh on the occasion of Durga Puja,” said Abul Kalam Azad, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of the interim government.

“The decision of an extra holiday will be executed through an executive order which we are expecting to be issued today,” he told ANI.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Combined Minority Alliance, said in a rally that the minority community across Bangladesh has been facing atrocities, including arson, vandalism, looting, forced occupation, murder, rape, threats of exile, and extrajudicial killings under the guise of mob justice since August 5.

“The government has decided to compensate those who are affected by the recent attacks after the August 5 changeover in Bangladesh,” Azad said.

Two months ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed.

All the law enforcement agencies, including the army, police and intelligence agencies, have taken measures for the security of the festival.

“The greatest festival of the Hindu community in Bangladesh will start tomorrow. All the law enforcement agencies assured us that there will be no incident during Puja,” said Joyanta Kumar Deb, President of Mohanagar Sarbojaneen Puja Committee, standing at the premises of Dhakeswari National Temple.

“We are hopeful that Puja will be held in peaceful manner,” he told ANI, adding that the Hindu community will celebrate with full enthusiasm.

The interim government also assured to consider fulfilling the logical demands of the minority community.

“There were some attacks on minority communities including Hindus after the August upsurge… We will try to help the affected families soon from the Chief Adviser’s welfare fund,” Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant, Mahfuj Alam, told the reporters while visiting the Dhakeswari Temple on Tuesday.

“We want to send a message that the government is with all minority communities including Hindus and government is open to accept the logical demand,” Alam added. “The government will also legal help to the minority communities,” he said.

Notably, after the change in powers on August 5, Bangladesh saw targeted attacks against minority communities. Earlier in August, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus had said in a public statement, “In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, but as human beings. Our rights should be ensured. The root of all problems lies in the decay of institutional arrangements.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: Bangladesh recalls India envoy in major diplomatic reshuffle

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Special recipes to celebrate Durga Puja

Saffola Masala Oats, with their perfect blend of desi Indian masalas, will add a chatpata twist to your favourite snack recipes and up the yum factor…reports Asian Lite News

Indian festivals are authentic to the country’s aesthetic culture and traditions; people have indelible memories and attachments to them. While different parts of India celebrate festivals like Navratri and Durga Pujo, their spirit is the same. Sharing a festive feast across the table with your loved ones is one of the many joys of the holiday, deeply rooted in our tradition and culture.

With guests arriving and numerous preparations to make, the search for delectable snacks and meals appropriate for the occasion is endless. With guests arriving and numerous preparations to make, the search for delectable snacks and meals appropriate for the occasion is endless. While sweets are the highlight of the holiday season, savoury snacks become a staple during the festivities as well. Don’t those chatpata, tasty, tangy, quick and easy bites make us all drool? So, this holiday season, get creative with your snacks.

Saffola Masala Oats, with their perfect blend of desi Indian masalas, will add a chatpata twist to your favourite snack recipes and up the yum factor. Here are some of Chef Kunal Kapur’s lip smacking festive recipes that you must try!

What to Prepare for Durga Puja?.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Oats Masala Dhokla

Ingredients:

1 Cup Rice

1 Cup Masala Oats

1 Cup sour yoghurt

1 tsp ginger and green chili paste

2 tsp ghee

4 curry leaves

1 tsp sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Garnishing – grated coconut and coriander

Method:

Roast Masala Oats in a pan till aromatic

In a bowl add rice and soak it for 40 mins and keep it aside

In a separate bowl, add rice and oats, yoghurt, ginger and green chili paste, 2 tsp ghee, Salt to taste. grind it into a thick batter

Grease a tin with ghee and add the batter into it

Place the tin into the steamer and let cook for 20 mins

In a pan add 1 teaspoon oil, when it sizzles add curry leaves, sesame seeds and grated coconut.

Once Masala Oats Dhokla is ready, garnish it with curry leaves, sesame seeds and grated coconut.

Moong Dal and Matar Ghugra

Ingredients for the outer crust:

2 cups maida (all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup ghee

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Water

1 tablespoon Oil

Ingredients for the filling:

1 cup Masala Oats

1 cup Green Moong Dal, soaked and steamed

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon hing

1 teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

2 Green chilies, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the moong dal and masala oats in 2 cups of water for about 3 to 4 hours. Once soaked, drain any excess water and keep it aside.

What to Prepare for Durga Puja?.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat; add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, hing and allow them to crackle.

Stir in the cooked green moong dal and add mouthwatering Masala Oats

Allow the moong dal and oats mixture to cool and divide into 20 portions

In the next step we will make the dough for the pastry crust for the ghugras

Combine the maida, ghee and salt in a bowl. Work the ghee into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Sprinkle water onto the crumbly dough and with your hands push the dough from the sides to the middle of the bowl to form a ball that holds together.

Be careful to add a little water at a time, and not allow the dough to become soggy. Knead well with your hands until the dough becomes a firm ball of dough.

Once rested, make 20 small portions of the ghughra dough and roll into a small 3-inch circle.

Place a teaspoon full of moong dal and Masala Oats’ mixture onto one half of the circle. Wet your fingers into the bowl of water and spread a little water around the edges of the circle.

Gently fold the circle into a semi-circle, seal the edges so that the dough sticks to each other making sure all the filling is concealed inside.

Preheat the oil for deep frying and deep fry these ghugras on medium heat

Serve the Moong Dal Oats ghugras along with green chutney and chai for tea time snacks

What to Prepare for Durga Puja?.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Baked Pudina Oats Broken Wheat Tikki

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Potato, boiled and peeled

200 grams Paneer, crumbled

2 cups Masala Oats

1 inch ginger, grated

2 green chilies, finely chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

Pudina (Mint Leaves)

Oil for cooking tikkis

Salt

Method:

To begin making the recipe, first get all the ingredients prepped, boil the sweet potatoes.

Add in both the boiled sweet potatoes, paneer, grated ginger, green chilies, onion, mint leaves and the key ingredient Masala Oats

Blend the ingredients until the potatoes are coarsely mashed and all the ingredients come together. Open the processor and give the mixture a stir halfway through so the ingredients come together and blend again.

Transfer the tikki dough into a bowl. Check the salt and add more only if you feel you require it as the masala oats also have salt in them.

Grease your fingers with a little oil and shape the pudina oat & broken wheat dough into bite size tikkis.

Preheat a skillet on medium heat.

Place a few pudina oat tikkis at a time on the skillet, drizzle a few drops of oil on each of the Pudina Oat & Broken Wheat Tikki and cook them on low to medium heat until browned and crisp on both sides.

Remove onto an oil absorbent paper and serve

Oats Kathi Roll

Ingredients for Kathi Rolls:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for filling:

1/2 teaspoon oil

2 cups Masala Oats

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 cup sliced onion

3 stalks finely chopped spring onion

1 teaspoon mustard

Method:

In a large bowl, add wheat flour, oil and salt and mix it well. Knead the mixture by adding a little water and prepare a firm dough. Cover it and keep it aside for 10mins

What to Prepare for Durga Puja?.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Divide the dough into 3 big portions.

Roll the dough portions into balls and flatten them with the palm of your hand. Toss them in flour and roll them out into circles

Put skillet on medium heat. Rolled out dough keep it on the skillet and cook it. Flip it after 2 mins and sprinkle some oil.

Once ready remove from the skillet and keep it aside, repeat the same with other dough portions

Next step is to prepare Masala Oats filling. Take a bowl, add spring onions, salt to taste and raw masala oats, and mix the ingredients well.

Take a pan, preheat on medium flame, sprinkle some oil and add the masala oats mixture and allow it to cook on medium flame for 3 mins

Once masala oats filling is ready, Place paratha on board, add the filling portion onto it. Add a few sliced onions, drizzle some tomato ketchup and mustard, tightly wrap the filling and serve it.

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-Top News USA

New York City Mayor joins Durga Puja celebrations 

Adams was accompanied by New York City’s Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs Dilip Chauhan…reports Asian Lite News

New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the Indian community in celebrating Durga Puja in the city, highlighting the festival’s message of triumph of good over evil.

The Durga puja this year is celebrated from October 1 to 5.

“Durga Puja celebrates the triumph of good over evil. That’s something we can all appreciate in these challenging times. What a joy and honour to join our city’s Bengali community in Queens tonight,” Eric Adams tweeted on Sunday.

Adams was accompanied by New York City’s Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs Dilip Chauhan, news agency PTI reported.

Last month, Adams attended Ganesh Rathyatra festivities at the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing in the city.

“Such a great experience to be a part of Grand Ganesh Rathyatra at the Hindu Temple Society of North America in Flushing. Diversity is our strength. #GaneshTempleStreet,” he had tweeted.

Durga Puja is an annual Hindu festival which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated because of Durga’s victory over Mahishasur, a bovine asura in Hinduism.

Thus, the festival epitomises the victory of good over evil, though it is also in part a harvest festival celebrating the goddess as the motherly power behind all of life and creation. Durga puja coincides with Navaratri and Dussehra celebrations observed by other traditions of Hinduism

It is particularly popular and traditionally celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and the country of Bangladesh.

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Durga Puja In UNESCO’s ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ list

It is the first festival in Asia to make it to the list of ICH of Humanity. There were altogether 48 nominations that had been submitted for inscription on the list…reports Asian Lite News.

In a major appreciation for the biggest festival in the Bengali calendar, UNESCO has added Durga Puja to its ‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, a first of its kind in Asia.

In a tweet, the UN body wrote: “Celebrations of the city of joy – Kolkata! Durga puja has been added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

The 16th Committee of UNESCO for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) at its meeting held in Paris on Wednesday inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity.

It is the first festival in Asia to make it to the list of ICH of Humanity. There were altogether 48 nominations which had been submitted for inscription on the list.

The nominations were reviewed by an evaluation body which made recommendations to the Committee for its decision. The body comprised six ICH experts. The Committee approved the decision of the inscription of Durga Puja in Kolkata on the list.

UNESCO also commended the concerned organisations in Kolkata for their initiatives to involve marginalised groups and individuals as well as women in their participation in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage.

The other festivals/carnivals which have been recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are three each from South America and Europe.

The inclusion of Durga Puja in the list underlines the importance of the festival in the public life of Bengalis, and the efforts made by the government of West Bengal to highlight the cultural richness of Bengal in this prism to the international community, involving people from all faiths and communities.

The Durga Puja carnival organised at the end of the festivities on the Red Road in Kolkata is a unique event and only of its kind in the country. It attracts people from all walks of life who collectively celebrate the rich and diverse culture of Bengal epitomised in the Durga Puja festival.

In a press release, the state government said, “We are proud of our Durga Puja and it is our proud and historic moment. It is a red-letter day for us. Bengal is now ‘Biswa Bangla’ in a real sense. Congratulations to all the people of Bengal, the country and the world. We convey our thanks and gratitude to UNESCO for the recognition bestowed on this great festival as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

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