Source: The Indy Star
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081013/LOCAL1802/810130340
Northview Middle School took on a new look this weekend for a Bengali religious event called the Durga Puja.
Hundreds of people from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana flocked to Indianapolis on Saturday and Sunday for the 24th annual Tri State Durga Puja and erected a shrine in the Far-Northside school's gym.
The holiday honors the goddess Durga. Hindus believe she comes to Earth once a year to destroy evil and bring happiness to families.
Bengal is a state in northeast India, and the Bengali people practice a form of Hinduism that celebrates Durga Puja as its major holiday.
Dipan Basu, 60, president of the Bengali Association of Indiana, compares Durga Puja to Christmas in its importance. The Indianapolis event drew 700 adults and 200 children.