Durga Puja Amstelveen
Amstelveen - The Indian festival Durga Puja is about to celebrate its 5th edition. Dwaipayan Nath and Debojyoti Sen of organisation Hoichoi are keen to explain why Amstelveen residents should not miss this cultural event. It is a unique experience with live music, singing, dancing and of course authentic Indian delicacies that you will not taste anywhere else.
For seven months now, Dwaipayan and Debojyoti have been busy preparing for the annual Durga Puja festival. Both moved to Amstelveen years ago because of their work. Dwaipayan says: 'I have lived in Amstelveen for 11 years now. Before that I worked in the United States and the plan was to return to India. But when we got the opportunity to work in the Netherlands, we grabbed it with both hands.'
Home
'We liked it so much here that we settled down and had children. Amstelveen really is our home now. Debojyoti also recognises herself in this story. I work as Director Human Resources at HCL Technologies, an Indian multinational IT services and consultancy company. When we were given the opportunity to move to Amsterdam from the United States, we chose Amstelveen over Amsterdam. It is so much more cosy and pleasant here.'
Amstelveen
Amstelveen is now home to 139 different nationalities, of which the Indian community is the largest at over 4,500, followed by the Japanese and British communities. But why are Indians known as cultural entrepreneurs? 'We like to keep our cultural heritage and traditions alive,' says Dwaipayan. And that is why we want to take our cultural enthusiasm to the next level with Hoichoi. We have a passion for culture and for good and tasty food', says Dwaipayan.
The Hoichoi organisation
Debojyoti explains what exactly Hoichoi stands for. It is an Indian non-profit organisation in the Netherlands, aimed at promoting Indian art and culture in this country. The word 'Hoichoi' is Bengali and the English translation is 'hullabaloo' which means chaos and madness, but in a positive sense. We believe that something extraordinary cannot be achieved without 'HoiChoi'. It stands for young, vibrant and colourful
Vision
'We started our journey in 2015 and thanks to the enthusiasm of the community, we are now fast becoming one of the most popular and fastest growing Indian organisations in Europe. Our vision is to create a home away from home for Indian internationals in the Netherlands.' Dwaipayan adds: 'We aim to take care of a better society, where we experience tremendous support from friends and well-wishers both in and outside the Netherlands.
We try to create lifelong memories and friendships through our interactions and events. Hoichoi's involvement does not end after the event, we are always ready to lend a helping hand when needed, like a true Bengali neighbour.'
What is Durga Puja?
'We are extremely excited to announce the Durga Puja, which will be held this year from 13 to 16 October in Amstelveen, says Dwaipayan proudly. He explains: 'It is an annual Hindu festival that originated in India and honours the Hindu goddess Durga. According to Hindu scriptures, the festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga in her fight against evil. Over the years, Durga Puja has become an inseparable part of Indian culture, with countless people celebrating this festival in their own unique way, in keeping with tradition.
Everyone welcome
'Over the past four years, we have enjoyed inviting an increasing number of Dutch people to the event and we are delighted that they visibly enjoyed the event,' says Dwaipayan. We look forward to meeting new people and making connections again this year. We encourage the local community to come and experience this festival. And we're excited to make new friendships. After all, it's all about inclusivity.'
Authentic delicacy
Asked what to expect, Dwaipayan enthusiastically shows us the programme. The festival is devoted to culture for four days. There is music by live bands, for example. Normally, artists from India would also come over, but unfortunately that is not possible now due to covid. There are many cultural performances, such as singing, dancing and drama.
And of course the delicious food is very popular. We serve authentic and traditional Indian dishes that you really cannot taste anywhere else. These are prepared according to secret recipes of our grandmothers. All this takes place in a beautiful colourful setting and very pleasant atmosphere, so that you really feel as if you are in India.
Tickets
Don't want to miss this unique experience? Order your tickets for the Durga Puja festival now!
www.hoichoi.nl
