Stories & guides
Writing from the community
Longer pieces about our festivals, our food, and what it takes to keep a culture going eight thousand miles from where it started. Written for people who are curious, including those who have never been to anything like this.
- Durga Puja
- Volunteering
- Festivals
- Orange County
- Bengali Food
- Guides
- First-timers
Durga PujaVolunteeringHow a Durga Puja Gets Built in America
There is no pandal contractor in California. So the backdrop, the alpana, the lighting and the cultural programme are made by engineers and nurses and teenagers in a garage — and the whole thing goes up, and comes down, in a weekend.
By Debasis Pramanik
· 5 min read
Bengali FoodGuidesA Bengali Food Glossary: What's Actually on the Plate
Every dish Sanhoti has served at an event in Orange County, explained — from begun bhaja and dhokar dalna to shorshe ilish and mishti doi.
By Sanhoti
· 5 min read
- Durga PujaFestivals
Your First Durga Puja: A Guide for People Who Have Never Been
What actually happens at a Durga Puja in Orange County, what to wear, what you will be fed, and why you do not need to be Bengali, Hindu or invited to come.
By Sanhoti
· 5 min read