One of our members, Dr Jim Robinson is carrying on a research project on

The rise and function of Bengali puja committees in the UK

About the Project

There are Bengali puja committees organizing major puja events in most of the major cities of the UK: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Leicester, Grimsby, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Slough and Southampton). Most are sarvajanin pujas.

How and why have such Bengali puja committees grown up in the UK? What demands have they met? How have they changed and grown over the years? What are the values and traditions that they uphold? What links are maintained between Bengali puja committees and Kolkata in particular and West Bengal in general? What links are there between puja committees in the UK?

This research will explore these questions starting with puja committees and Bengali Associations in Cardiff and London as well as Oxford and expand to include the whole network within the UK. Through interviews and systematic analysis of case studies I will try and identify emerging themes. No study of this kind has been done before.

To get involved

If you feel you may be able to contribute to this research in any way of the following ways then please contact me:

• Do you have photos, journals, videos or other records of puja events you have attended either in the UK or in West Bengal that you could share with me?

• Do you have any links with Bengali puja committees or their members that you could talk to me about?

• Are you a purohit or have you performed puja at any event? If so I would like to ask you about your background and experiences.

• Have you ever been part of a puja committee yourself and would you be prepared to be interviewed about your experiences?

• Have you ever watched videos of puja events online? If so I would like to ask you what your impressions were.

Contact by e-mail: robinson.916@btinternet.com

Further information

Dr Jim Robinson’s website