Dilip Guha, New Delhi : Bengali cuisine is popular across the country for its savouries as well as sweets. And Bengalis are known for their gastronomical passion. This is reflected in their most important festival, Durga Puja. Dilip Guha describes an interesting culinary ritual, Ananda Mela
Delhi NCR Comes Alive with Flavours and Festivities: Ananda Mela Sets the Tone for Durga Puja Celebrations
Pandal hopping across Delhi NCR during Durga Puja is more than a visual and spiritual experience—it’s a cultural immersion. Visitors are treated to a feast of Bengali delicacies while soaking in the region’s rich heritage through music, dance, poetry recitations, fashion showcases, and dramatic performances by local artists. Puja pandals transform into vibrant hubs of creativity, where children and amateur performers share the stage with seasoned professionals, celebrating community spirit and artistic expression.
Adding colour and excitement to the festivities, Durga Puja committees across the city host a range of competitions and engaging activities, complete with attractive prizes. Among the most anticipated traditions is Ananda Mela, a culinary fair that marks the ceremonial beginning of the Puja celebrations.
Mouth-watering cuisines, sweets, and dishes are an integral part of this celebration. Food forms an intrinsic part of Durga Puja celebrations. This vibrant and lively festival, spread over five days, reflects the depth and richness of Indian culture, and one comes away with a feeling of awe at its sheer grandeur and beauty.
Ananda Mela is one such tradition, where local women share their family specialties in the evening before the puja rituals begin. It is, in fact, the first event that sets the Puja celebrations rolling and is usually celebrated on the evening of the fifth day (Panchami) of Durga Puja or the sixth day (Sasthi). In this mela, a host of local women offer home-cooked food. They set up stalls to display their specialties and sell to all those fond of good food and feasting. Mela Ground of C R Park, Delhi, the puja committee organized on the 6th day, i.e, on Durga Sasthi Day
A noteworthy feature of the Ananda Mela, or Ladies’ Fair, is that the local women are encouraged to sell their wares ~ mouth-watering eatables ~ at nominal prices. The food stalls set up at most puja venues offer a rich fare of Bengali and Mughlai cuisine and attract huge crowds. The food on offer can be anything, from pakora to singara (Samosa), spring rolls to egg rolls, and even Biryani or sweets.
This, apart from being a fun event, is also a competition, and organisers expect all the participants to follow the rules set and to ensure that only food prepared by themselves is served at home should be displayed for judging.
“Anandamela is one of the first rituals of Durga Puja. It is essentially the first get-together of Sharod Uthsob,” informed Rumi Chakraborti, a participant at Mela ground Durga Puja at Chittaranjan Park. “The term Ananda Mela literally means ‘Fun Fair’. The concept was established in order to start the Pujo with scrumptious /lip-smacking food and, of course, a massive gathering. Residents of CR Park prepare and sell authentic home-cooked Bengali cuisine and welcome everyone with love and warmth.”
Anando Mela, she added, is also the time when at least one of the five sellers would offer aloo dum and luchi on their menu to the attendees, thereby providing them with the taste of authentic Bengali cuisine. While most people sell savoury dishes like Egg Chops, Chicken Kebabs, and Ghugni, chicken pulao, also traditional Bengali sweets/desserts such as Malpua, Chhanar Jilipi, and Rosogollas, are a big hit during the fest, she added.
Echoing her, Pratima Ray, a member of the Mela Ground Durga Puja Samity, said, “Anando Mela, or a Fete of Happiness, is an event that marks the beginning of the Durga Puja celebrations, where Bengali housewives prepare savoury and sweet delicacies at home and set up stalls at the Puja Ground to compete for the best dish award.” Bengalis are known for gastronomical passion. So when the Bengali community celebrates their biggest festival, Durga Puja, food has to play a very essential role in the celebrations, she added.
Debasis Sen, General Secretary of Mela Ground Durga Puja Samity, said, “We really appreciate the efforts put in by all the homemakers and their families, who lend them a helping hand in putting forth a good show.”
Read : Chittaranjan Park Durga Puja Samity (Regd), B-Block, celebrates the Golden Jubilee of its Durga Puja
