The onset of autumn in the UK heralds the season of hot chocolates, colourful foliage all around and a nip in the air which every Indian heart now residing in this beautiful country which we call home, relates to the arrival of Ma Durga. The UK Hindu Cultural Association (UKHCA) organised its 13th annual Durga Puja celebrations at the Swanley Townhall from 29th September – 2nd October 2025. With every passing year, the UKHCA Durga Puja has seen grandeur, footfalls and the ability to assimilate people from all walks of life increase manifold and we can proudly claim to be a melting pot of cultures in southeast London and Kent. Our primary focus has always been on maintaining the pious sanctity of the puja and this year we were one of the few pujas in the UK to have organised the celebrations as per the original ‘Tithi’ (timings and dates), even though they all coincided with a busy work week. Our priority was not just to draw crowds but to invoke the divine feminine energy, with the help of our erudite priest and dedicated team of volunteers. Perhaps, Ma Durga also blessed us with all her might that not only the crowds thronged in, but we saw many spontaneous participations in our puja and cultural events. The ‘Sondhi Puja’ on Ashtami saw everyone visiting our puja lending a hand to light 108 diyas signifying the victory of good over evil. We also celebrated ‘Kumari Puja’, a tradition we have started since last year, on Nabami.
‘Sui Dhaaga’ our much-awaited fashion show on Saptami evening, celebrating the weaves of India, saw registrations closing much before the due date. ‘Dhunuchi Naach’ – the traditional dance to bid a joyous farewell to the Goddess on Nabami evening saw such wholehearted revelry. The grand pinnacle of four days of festivities came with the celebration of ‘Sindoor Khela’ on Dashami and the joy made all of us wish that the beats of the ‘Dhaak’ (drum) never end. But it had to because our tempting puja feast was waiting. This year UKHCA adopted policies to reduce wastage of food and increasing sustainability throughout the 4 days of puja. Like always, the grand Dashami feast of ‘Mangsho Bhaat’ was a hit with everyone.
As an organisation, UKHCA has always tried to foster harmony, peace and cultural bonhomie in the community we live in. This year too we tried to support our local businesses by engaging them as our food vendors and our stall partner. This year too, the stalls at our venue showcased a variety of clothing, jewellery and various culinary treats and needless to say – they all saw heavy footfall and some ‘sold out’ happiness of local entrepreneurs. We remain thankful to Councillor Peter Whapshott, Mayor of Dartford and Councillor Avtar Sandhu, Deputy Mayor & Lead Member for Business, Dartford for gracing our puja with their august presence and support. We also remain thankful to the local police authorities and Swanley Council for their support in conducting the puja. On several days of the puja uniformed officers from Swanley and Dartford Police came to visit us to understand our culture and provide support to our community events. We have been coordinating with Kent Police to raise awareness about Hindu festivals and how the peace loving Indian and South Asian community here always acts as a living bridge for the entrepreneurial, educational and spiritual exchanges between India and the UK.
As we bid farewell to Ma Durga with teary eyes and a promise to return next year – “Ashche bochor abar hobe”, we remain eternally grateful to our volunteers who work throughout the year for making all our events a great success. This year marked a first for us when we custom designed (all done inhouse!) our UKHCA volunteer tshirts and the bonhomie was palpable while we wore it. The pictures will do the talking but here is wishing you everyone ‘Shubho Bijoya’ because humanity, peace and goodness always, eventually, triumphs over.
UKHCA Kumari Puja
Kumari Puja has always been a part of Bengal’s cultural motif and since last year, we at UKHCA have started a newly minted tradition of organising this ritual on Nabami. As a part of our democratic decision-making process, this year also the selection of ‘Kumari’ (the divine mother in form of a little girl) was done through a lucky draw. Taushini Chakrabarti, the 6 years old daughter of Sampriti Chakrabarti was selected as our Kumari this year.
On the day of the puja, it appeared that divinity had indeed graced our puja with the innocence of the little soul being worshipped. The spiritual connection that everybody present there felt, is inexplicable in words. We hope that we can continue to preserve and present to our community this sanctuary of pious and peaceful spirituality every coming year.
