The bong connect

In our series of various communities that make this city such a colourful and vibrant place, this week it is Bengal in Delhi.

Delhi just does not celebrate Ramlila… here Durga Puja is celebrated with as much zest and fervour. Sandesh, rosogulla, illish (Hilsa) and rui maach has found a place in the heart of Delhiites as much as a butter chicken would have.

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Mini Bengal
Located in South Delhi, Chittaranjan Park (CR Park) is popularly known as Mini Bengal of Delhi and is the Bengali Capital of the city. The DDA markets of the colony cater to most of the Bengali population in the city. This is where one of the biggest markets for fish is situated.

Shantanu Sengupta, a freelance writer lives in Noida but goes for his maash-er kena kata (monthly shopping) to CR Park. He says, “From buying fish to topor, jhudi, supuri, poite, and all the other stuff needed for a grand Bengali wedding can be found here.”

Here you can have a taste of Calcutta style street food — mutton chop, fish cutlets, phuchka, ghugni and Calcutta-style Chinese. The sari shops sell Taant, Kantha, Dhakai and other kinds of Bengali saris.

For Bengali movies, check out the CDs and DVDs at the Market No. 1 in CR Park at shops like Video Palace (Tel: 65393735), Krishna Raagmala (Tel: 26278775). CR Park, Kali Mandir is not only a religious place but a lot of cultural activities also take place here.

Others
Saraswati Book Depot (Tel: 23347890) in Gole Market sells Bengali newspapers and books. Bengali saris and fish are also available here.