Massive Feasting at AnandoMela/Ladies’ Fair/Fun Fair in C R Park - the Bengali Colony of Delhi

This year, we planned a trip to Kolkata to cover the Durga Pujo festival in all its grandeur. However, our Pujo celebrations kicked off from the Bengali dominant neighbourhood of CR Park, Delhi.
On Panchami evening, we visited the Co-operative Durga Pujo Samity to immerse ourselves in the festive atmosphere. Every year, on either Panchami or Sashti, a special event called Ananda Mela is organized there. True to its name, it's a happiness fair that brings people together to celebrate through food, crafts and other cultural experiences. However, the highlight of this event is the home-cooked food served by the women, from the local Bengali community.
Upon our arrival a little prior to the official timings, the place was all set to welcome visitors and everyone looked resplendent in their festive attire and high spirits. The air was filled with the irresistible aroma of biryani, telebhaja, sweets, ghugni, khichuri, desi Chinese, and more. The sight of the diverse culinary offerings was simply irresistible. As Saurabh guided us to our first destination, we were still contemplating what to try and what to skip. And it's always a hard decision when you have such a wide range of delicacies in front of you.
Along with him, we sampled dishes like mushroom galouti with saffron paratha and mochar chop. Then, Mou joined us, and our gastronomic journey continued with patishapta, chicken nihari, chicken khichuri, chicken bagwan, sandesh, chicken ghugni, basanti pulao, mutton curry, and, last but not least, some gondhoraj bhetki. The latter was the favorite of the lot.
Anandomela is a true haven for foodies and if you are in Delhi during the Pujo then you mustn't miss it. Everyone was engrossed in savoring their favorite dishes. The atmosphere was filled with emotions and bonds formed over these incredible delicacies. Families and friends had gathered to relish the best flavors offered by these talented home chefs and it was hard to stop at just two or three dishes.
Conversations with some of the people revealed their eagerness for this event, how it holds a special place in their hearts and is a source of nostalgia and tradition. We couldn't have asked for a better start to our Durga Pujo experience.

[@14sunderraman]

I am not a bengali but I am a calcuttan ( note the previous spelling) I love Bengali foods. Infact anything that is from bengal, I just love them

[@tanusreechowdhury389]

as a Bengali I feel we are the most creative on this planet and it even reflects on our food platter or food choices as well. so there are thousands of dishes in our own Bengali cuisine. Every state of West Bengal has their own dishes and different kind of sweets.

[@templogical3095]

Only reason I like bengali people is they dont vote to BJP

[@promitdutta3029]

@@templogical3095 more than 40% of bengalis voted bjp. If you consider that only hindus(67% of population, which represent bengali culture) in bengal voted bjp then (40/67)X100 = 60% of hindus are voting BJP

[@templogical3095]

@@promitdutta3029 TMC won 213 seats and BJP was routed out even though feku and tadipaar spent all their time in the state ignoring covid situation. Give your communal, gobar logic somewhere else andh bhakt :)

[@rashmidattani3117]

The true essence is celebrating the grandeur of the mother goddess herself... her triumph... (let aside all tht can be debated....)

[@melancholicvibes4728]

bengalis are so decent and so educated community

[@ashutoshmishra1895]

In Bengal and odisha nonveg is incomplete without alu. The taste of potato becomes many folds.

[@uttankabhuyan5630]

And in Assam too

[@thirst-t2653]

Yes...Ang Banga Kalinga Assam..have almost same flavours due to geography and same weather condition.

[@newsjunkieish]

Alu adds starch texture to meat dishes

[@ayanbandyopadhyay5694]

You are so amazing vloger that sometimes i forgot to like your videos.... Onek onek valobasa apnar jonno ....love from Bengal

[@anuradharavi8745]

I miss this... The crazy crowd of Durga Pujo in CR Park is a thrill and something you want to experience every year... Be it food, the music of the dhol, the crazy traffic and what not....

[@newsjunkieish]

Along with worship, it is like a street party for a week or so. Everyone can come and participate. If you are ready to handle the crowds, traffic, traffic and no entry for cars.

[@FoodCultureKnowledge]

The food looks amazing! That food in fall & winter weather... nothing could be better!

[@rainbowdays5169]

I love this channel..specially the simplicity of the anchor..he explores places common still uncommon to us...

[@delhifoodwalks]

thank you!

[@SuchismitaMajumdar]

Really enjoyed this episode, as a student in Delhi I used to go to CR Park pujo, miss those days.

[@newsjunkieish]

CR Park is very good for single people living alone, especially for Bengalis. All kinds of food and festivals are available. You can just go and join in.

[@pallavibhattacharya8676]

Thank you Sir es vlog ko banane ke liye. C.R. Park ke bare me apne parents & relatives se bahut suna tha , par dekhne ka mauka apke vlog me hi mila. Also thank you for show our Bangali culture. 😊👍

[@libastonprograms]

Nice video. That’s really good information. Thank you for your sharing. Have a great day my friend

[@WorldwideFoodFinds]

Indian street food is so mesmerizing and delicious ❤

[@Pingluck]

Annaucer voice 'Khaiye pieye or aish kariye'👌🥰😍

[@rajaramiz7896]

I think this is amazing step to showcase different food items at a single place.

[@thirst-t2653]

Wish Bengaluru tey o AnondoMela holey I wud have been the first person to reach there!!! Someone should start it here !!!!

[@TRIOSCOPE_SHORTS]

Anondomela is a tradition of our place 'SHANTINIKETAN', Visva Bharati University The mela originated here And this fair is tottaly organized by students.

[@poulomipalit8575]

I am a student of Visva-Bharati...I am also going to comment but i see your comment and get excited.

[@StreetFoodSection]

Thank you for sharing such amazing street food from all over the India brother 😍

[@roysnehita5]

Thanks for covering the true essence of Anando Mela. ❤

[@poulomipalit8575]

Sir you should definately come in Santiniketan West bengal and get experience real "Anandamela/Anandabazaar"

[@delhifoodwalks]

I am planning to visit Shantiniketan during basant panchami

[@poulomipalit8575]

Welcome sir.....hope I will meet you soon....

[@delhifoodwalks]

@@poulomipalit8575 can you help us in planning the trip ?

[@poulomipalit8575]

Yes sir of-course... it's a very big opportunity for me

[@delhifoodwalks]

@@poulomipalit8575 can you drop me a message on instagram @anubhav.sapra ? Thank you

[@rishipramanick6823]

I myself stayed at Pusa campus during my dad's transfer over there we loved to go to anandamela with my Punjabi friends at cr Park it was really vibrant and actually its meaning is people from their homes cook food and they sell over there before puja

[@newsjunkieish]

Arre Baba how did I miss alll this? @DelhiFoodWalks your notifications are not showing up at all. I missed all your Durga Puja special videos. @Anubhav is my favourite food blogger since his inception. And he is probably the best presenter of Bengali cuisine to pan-India audiences. We watch the cuisine from all over India as well through your lens. And when we visit those places, make sure to try to food.

[@abhishekghosh5550]

What I have found is most people who are 'actively' involved in the Puja rituals during Durga Puja don't have any non-vegetarian food. For people like us it's a festival and we eat and drink to glory during the Pujas. Same happens during Christmas. If you go to say Uganda during Christmas, you cannot get a Ugandan out of the church, they are praying 24/7. However, Christmas in Australia is a party. And yes, we bengalis are nice, sweet & sensitive. However, if people like Anubhavji are around then even Delhi can be nice. Personally, Delhi been nice to me. I like the city.

[@laxmipatwalniceepisode5579]

Mazedaar, tasty blog

[@sharmisthachatterjee5277]

Khub sundor

[@JyotirmoyMukherjee]

We say Bengali and Kolkata culture. But it is a mixture of North Eastern India, Odia and Bihari/Jharkhand and Bangladeshi culture. If we are any 'unique', we accept and mix and adopt with all these cultures. We are more rich than any individual cultures.

[@susantamukherjee2508]

Anubhab ji, I am very happy to see that gradually you are becoming a perfect bengali😄😄

[@sanjivroy8941]

Anubhavji this has been one of your best , I enjoyed it immensely. The atmosphere the camaraderie at CR Park is best far better than Kolkata .In fact I remembered by childhood puja at Harisabha MUZAFFARFUR way back in early seventies while watching your episode at CR Park

[@delhifoodwalks]

Mujhe bhi yaad hai Muzaffarpur harisabha Chowk ka puja :)

[@newsjunkieish]

Best thing about CR Park is that they welcome everyone with open arms in the Puja.

[@pitamdas03]

Jai jai 🙏❤️

[@Himanshu_kr23]

always love your video

[@Vijy29]

Unfortunately we can not have such delicacies during Navratri, can’t they extend this aanandmela after dashmi 😅

[@newsjunkieish]

Actually Panchami ke din hota hai shaam ko. To kick off the festivities. But in one NCR society puja we held it on Navami evening, because our North Indian neighbours wanted to participate and partake of the cooking.

[@maheshdhaimode441]

All food 🍲🍲🍲 was non veg. It was good👍👍👍

[@charnpreetsingh8952]

Amazing food. I wonder how Bollywood can stereotype Punjabis as most non-veg loving people of India. Its actually opposite.

[@suhridmukerji4890]

Maa Durga signifies Shakti and for that a sacrifice is of a Bakra ,therefore in pujas

[@samd4150]

As far as I have know Patishapta ka jo batter hai mere ghar mein Jaggery, grinded Gobindobhog rice and milk se banta hai. Aur andr jo stuffing hai wo kheer ka hota hai.

[@pitamdas03]

Jai maa durga

[@HotelGoldenTree]

Great coverage of Bengali Pujo😊

[@tune2prasenjit]

@Anubhav ji-- When will you post Kollata Shibkrishna Daw family's home pooja coverage...my friend already posted selfie with you

[@vijaydave4512]

Umdaa 👌 👌 👌

[@SrinivasaRao-rs5vx]

Was The Food You Both eating well was it complimentary or did you Pay ? as No Cost mentioned about the Food ? please mention with the cost .

[@sanjaychhabra958]

Very niceeeeeeee episode

[@73pradipghosh]

Enjoy kigiye bengali food

[@ranganlaha1441]

A very testy delicious sweet and warm episode ❤

[@Monikatours]

Anandomela delhi mei cr park ka best for foodies. Baaki jagah it's mostly for selling garments and home stuff etc.

[@newsjunkieish]

Not true. Anandamela is mostly women presenting home cooked delicacies

[@shamkmudgil]

Madam, jalebi kyun nahi milti CR Park mein, jabki jalebi is very popular in Kolkata😊

[@ankurkothari7840]

Wonderful work

[@kunalbhattacharjy6166]

Khub bhalo❤❤❤❤

[@Breeze702]

Bijoya Dasami is celebrated with Mangsho Bhaat ( mutton curry and rice) and not Hilsa and rice

[@aditidutta5064]

Aap West Bengal mei Durgapur city ek bar aaiye

[@suryarajbhushan]

Nice video sir

[@manasijsarkar4584]

Superb

[@Deeptonik]

Loving u sir

[@rameshsinha5452]

❤❤❤❤

[@arpitabakshi6372]

C. R. PARK❤🥰👌👌

[@manoj-jb5lk]

কবে গিয়েছিলে C R park

[@akaashshukla7426]

Is this mela is still on? Wish to experience this food once in delhi.. Veg food

[@archandutta348]

It was on Panchami previous month.

[@newsjunkieish]

Try Poush Mela around Sankranti at Mela Ground CR Park.

[@Mycute3budgies]

Nice food

[@ayushpatel1354]

What 'al aziz' doing in Hindu festival ?

[@JyotirmoyMukherjee]

Muslims take 100% participation in Bengali Durga Puja. We are glad about it. No problem.

[@newsjunkieish]

26:29 Bengali kid berating his/her mother for chatting and not feeding him/her 😂😂😂

[@rahathussain4716]

4.39 chicken khichuri ma'am if you reading my comment kindly share me information you sell it in normal days on Zomato i want to eat this

[@gourabsarker9552]

Dada come to khulna Bangladesh

[@paragmishra55]

Worst & most untidy place Bangladesh. Most unhygienic and dirty &tasteless food that too in Bangladesh 🇧🇩

[@LamthewLam]

Come again in nagaland sir 😊

[@Huhuhaaaaa520]

3:34 lady being scared to give Bangladesh reference as Bengalis now cant even talk about their land freely outside west Bengal... Sad.

[@prithwirajdeb5838]

Ghugni ko aesehi kha lo !

[@prithwirajdeb5838]

Love from KOLKATA ❤❤

[@apednekar19]

Chana burfi is our Puranpoli stuffing....🤷

[@aarohiyadavfamily]

Sir plz new blog not old

[@raretorarest5695]

khana indian khane wale indian khilaney wala indian km s km hindi ka to use kro

[@harshakanavi7841]

Celebraty Aunty's Maidawali dish was superb. 2023 was declared " year of MILLETS " by some idiots. Apologizes if i have pork my snouts around.. i still have nothing write. Poor in angrezi.

[@apednekar19]

Ek Bengali ne toh humko chunaa lagaya...humaare AC ko chemical wash k bahane kisi purze ko dead kiya aur abhi woh pura dead pada hain...bahut hee sugary hotey hain koi koi Bengali...🥴

[@nmo3148]

paan mein daal ke kha lo.

[@debojeet1993]

Waise to marathi log bhi bohot badtamizi karte hain non marathis se lekin hum har jagah hagte nahi firte. Jis vishay ke baare mei blog banaya gaya hai uske baare mei comment karna hai to karo warna chalte bano

[@apednekar19]

hahahahahaha humko toh pet ekdum saaf suthraaa rakhne ki aadat hain...Marathi logon ki yeh khaasiyat hain... pet saaf rakhnaa.. usse dil aur dimaag dono apne aap saaf ho jaate hain... samjhe BAINGOON BHAJJAAA???@@debojeet1993

[@sanjivroy6083]

Ek marathi 75 yrs old but still giving advise on tv about one day cricket where he made 36 off 60 overs chuna laga raha hai Look at GR Vishy leading a retired life & not after money like Sunny

[@apednekar19]

woh kisiko nuksaan nahi pahucha raha hain..it is his personal choice.. about how to live life in OLD AGE.. try to learn from him... YOU ARE A REAL BUDDHHAAA...@@sanjivroy6083

[@sczsubash]

Why don't you buy two servings of food you review, the local hosts are forced to share food from same plate with you.even as viewer I find it mannerless on your part😡

[@rajeevpalthukral764]

Anando maila ? Typical bengali nonsense , trying to out do the English in accent

[@nandanbhardwaj8464]

FO. That is hot we pronounce.

[@sangramjit2966]

wtf u r here for ? gtfoh !!

[@newsjunkieish]

That is the Bengali pronunciation for Mela.

[@ranajit2355]

Typical north Indiabull rather vaish

[@rajeevpalthukral764]

@@ranajit2355 unlike bokachoda bangaal shit

[@shantabirchakraborty6528]

❤️❤️❤️

[@anupdeb]

❤❤❤