Moscow Durga Puja Committee
About Moscow Durga Puja Committee
24 years ago some people came together and dreamt of puja in Moscow, to bring home theflavor of puja. Our first puja was inaugurated by Swami Lokeswarananda of Ramakrishna Mission. Since then Swami Jyotirupananda who is the founder of Moscow Ramakrishna Math and also President of the Moscow Durga Puja Committee has been conducting the puja.
Durga Puja in Moscow is the true melting pot- organized and funded on a voluntarily basis by the Indian community of Moscow. Our Russian friends are an integral part of our puja as they adore India, find our colourful festivals fascinating, queue up as they do for pratima darshan and to savour bhog and prasad along with us. There are Russian Academicians, Indophiles and Orientalists who make it a point to visit our puja every year.
What makes our Puja special is that unlike US and Europe, where Puja is organized over weekends, we in Moscow take pride in conducting puja on the actual dates. Durga Puja is a spiritual and religious event but is essentially a social-cultural affair. Our celebrations are dotted with numerous cultural activities, which comprise of songs, dances, contests and quiz with a special focus on children.
Aaratrika, a festive annual magazine is published on this occasion and launched at the Saptami gala programme. Aaratrika’s content is festive, fun and straight-from-the-heart. We welcome stories and thoughts of all who find our culture interesting and our children actively contribute in it. Aaratrika aspires to connect the Indians annually to reflect on significant anniversaries and important issues in various spheres like culture, music, literature, cinema, ecology. The underlying theme of the Puja and Aaratrika is peace and harmony and celebration of diversity. Aaratrika also aspires to serve as a cultural bridge between India and Russia.
Looking forward to blue skies and sunny days, as we are all set to welcome Maa who is arriving by palanquin this time.
Address: http://www.moscowdurgapuja.org/
