Bengalis in Tamil Nadu want land for Durga temple

Land for building a temple for Goddess Durga and a separate maidan for erecting pandals during Durga Puja are some of the exclusive demands of the migrant Bengali community living in Chennai, who find it difficult to continue their higher studies in Tamil Nadu due to the reservation policy.

As the political temperature in Tamil Nadu is at its peak, with the polls just a few days away, members of the community lay stress on good quality roads, drinking water and uninterrupted power supply besides their exclusive demands.

The South Madras Cultural Association, which organises one of the largest Durga Pujas in town with an average footfall of more than one lakh per day, wants the next government to allot land for building a Durga temple that would also have a community hall.

“South Madras Cultural Association and other organisations associated with us don’t have a community hall for organising welfare activities. Most of the money that we collect through donation goes in paying the rent for the hall where we organise Durga Puja and other programmes,” Meena Ganguly, a member of SMCA and guest lecturer of politics and administration department at Madras University, told this newspaper.

Ms Ganguly, who has been living here for the past 22 years, also said the next government should also look into the issue of why most young Bengalis who have been born and brought up in Tamil Nadu are forced to continue their higher studies outside the state.

The existing reservation policy has to be reviewed in order to ensure that people from all walks of life pursue higher studies in Tamil Nadu.

Though Bengalis are generally politically aware and active, Debashish Mukherjee, who has been in the city for 29 years, says since most Bengalis have white-collar jobs they are not politically aware in the state.

Rupam Das, who has been living in the city for 22 years, said, “The other reason why Bengalis don’t show much interest is they don’t understand the language that fluently. So they find themselves aloof with the entire politics. Many of them will go for a tour as they will get three days’ holiday.”

And for Bidita Mukherjee, a 24-year-old studying in Madras University, the three-day holiday is time to visit Kolkata.

“I have been staying here for seven years and as we are getting three holidays, I will go to Kolkata. I don’t want any of the major political parties to come to power in Tamil Nadu,” she said.