Walsall hosts welcome return of goddess Durga celebrations
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street was among the guests at a traditional Hindu festival.
The Navrati festival celebrates the goddess Devi Durga and is among the biggest festivals in the religion's calendar and is widely celebrated by Hindu communities all over the world.
The goddess is seen as a the symbol of woman power and Durga Puja marks her great triumph over the demon Mahisashura and of good prevailing over evil.
Mr Street was among the visitors calling in for the return of the five-day event at Midland Indian Association at the centre, in Lower Forster Street, in Walsall, after the coronavirus pandemic crisis.
Dr Amit Choudhury said: "The Midland Indian Association was founded in 1968 and that was the year when we organised our first Durga Puja. It was the effort of Indians who moved from India to the UK and made the Midlands their home.
"Since then we have been celebrating every year except in 2020 when there was no celebration due to the pandemic. During the initial years we have had to carry out the festivities at different venues till we acquired our own venue in Walsall. Ours is one of the biggest Durga Pujas in the UK.
"We have devotees attending the celebrations for five days and they come from all over the Midlands and beyond. We also cater for food for all our devotees during these five days."
The association is a charitable organisation and activities include fundraising to support of aid projects and providing support for the elderly. The Walsall centre also celebrate other cultural events and festivals including Diwali. The venue also hosts senior citizens’ lunch once a month.
"We are an essential part of the Hindu community - would also hope to continue to do so for many years to come," he added.
