Kali Bari website to help old bond with the new
Always considered a hub of cultural activity, Kali Bari has been witness to many historic events that later proved central to the history of modern India. Nivedita Khandekar reports.
Always considered a hub of cultural activity, Kali Bari has been witness to many historic events that later proved central to the history of modern India. And now, to keep pace with changing dynamics and in an effort to attract youth, a website of the most prominent address for Delhi's Bengali community will be inaugurated on Monday.
"I have developed it as a tribute to what I received from the institution," adds Sanjay Ghosh, who along with his team, have designed the website www.newdelhikalibari.com.
The site has details of the history of Kali Bari, mythological stories associated with the place, photographs and events. It will soon have digitised formats of all the books, including the rare ones in its library.
In 1925, when the new capital - known today as New Delhi - of British India was coming up, hundreds of people belonging to the Bengali community had gathered for the annual Durga Puja at the temple on Baird Road (today's Bangla Sahib Road).
They had shifted base from Calcutta to Delhi and soon realised that the premises were proving inadequate. Hence, more than 300 Bengalis made a formal application to the government requesting for land for the same. One acre of land was finally allotted in 1931.
With dedicated premises on the western edge of New Delhi - on Mandir Marg - the New Delhi Kali Bari not just hosted the annual Durga Puja festivities, it also came to be known as an important landmark for meetings in the pre-independence era.
"Years before he went on to head the Congress, Netaji Subhash addressed a large gathering here in 1935," says Swapan Ganguly, general secretary of the New Delhi Kali Bari.