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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know Two-day Durga Festival To Be Celebrated At Times Square In NY T he upcoming Hindu festival of Durga Puja during Navratri will be celebrated at NewYork’s Times Square this year for the first time, as announced at a Press Conference held Sunday, August 10, 2025 in Jackson Heights, Queens. Organized by The Times Square Durga Utsav Associa- tion, the two-day festival will be held at Times Square on October 1st and 2nd, to coincide with the Hindu lunar calendar dates of Navratri, the nine-day festival dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Present at the Press Conference were more than twenty members of the Press, and close to sixty community leaders and commit- tee members of the Times Square Durga Utsav Association. The organization committee members included Chief Advisor Mridul Pathak, President Sasadhar Howlader, Vice President Kallol Basu, Secretary Nirupoma Saha, Treasurer Sou- myabrata Dasgupta, and Advisory Committee Members Milon Awon and Nirmal Pal. The conference was moder- ated by Sriyanka Basak. The Organization announced the event will be held at Times Square’s Father Duffy Square, next to the red stairs. The festival will simulate the puja atmosphere at the Maddox Square in Kolkata and the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, the committee informed. Themed pandals, designed by famous puja artists will be brought from Kolkata. A special image of Durga will be created by the renowned Kumartuli artist Pradip Rudra Paul in Kolkata. The festival will feature daily aratis, pujas and live performances by artists from Dhaka and Kolkata. The highlight of the two day festival will be the rituals of Sindoor Khela and Dhunuchi Naach. Sindoor Khela is performed on the last day of Vijaya Dashami when mar- ried women apply sindoor or vermilion to each other’s faces, and share sweets with each other. Dhunuchi Naach is a daily dance performed during the evening arati in Navratri. Dhunuchi is a clay pot which holds burning coal and incense, and devotees move their bodies balanc- ing the pots in their hands, on their heads, chins or their mouths. Biswajit Saha, the organization’s spokesperson, told News India Times the Times Square festival aims to educate people about Hindu cultural traditions and bring people of all cultures together. Anyone can participate in the festival which will be open to all. Dakshina for the Hawan and Puja can be registered on the organization’s website timessquaredurgautsav.org . Some community organizations experssed their sup- port for the event. These included CAB, the organizers of the North America Bengali Conference and the Vedanta Society of Bangladesh. Celebrated by Hindus all over the world, Durga Puja lasts for five of the nine days of Navratri. Life size images of goddess Durga, who killed the demon Mahishasur, are placed in decorative tents called mandaps or pandals during this time. The festival is one of the strongest dedication to woman power, and women turn up in large numbers clad in beautiful saris. In Kolkata, for years, the life-size images of Durga have been made by the Muslim artists special- izing in intricate carvings. Beside India, Bangladesh and Nepal, the festival is also celebrated in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and other places where Hindus have migrated. This year’s, festival will last for two days, especially as two of the tithis, ashtami and navami, fall on the same day, said Saha. The organization is working on making Durga Festival a four day festival next year, he said. By Archana Adalja 5 CITY VIEWS August 15, 2025 A dance performana Members of the Committee of Times Square Durga Utsav Organization. (Left to Right) Secretary Nirupoma Saha, Treasurer Soumyabrata Dasgupta, President Sasadhar Howlader, Advisory Committee Member Milon Awon, Chief Advisor: Mridul Pathak, and Vice President Kallol Basu. photo provided by Battery Dance. The image of Durga placed in a mandap or pandal during Durga puja. PHOTO: Dipankan001. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribu- tion 3.0 Unported license. Members of Times Square Durga Festival Organization answering questions at a Press Conference Sunday, August 10, 2025. NY Consumer Protection Warns Students Of Scams, Urges Campus Safety A s students across NewYork State begin or return to college, voca- tional, or graduate school pro- grams, the NewYork Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is offering important guidance to help them avoid scams, protect their identi- ties, and stay safe on campus. 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Shredding pre-approved credit card offers and financial documents before disposal can also help reduce the risk. Online safety is another key concern. Social media activity can inadvertently reveal personal details that cybercriminals use to guess passwords or security ques- tions. Students should be cautious about downloading free apps, games, or music, which may be laced with malware, and should review privacy settings regularly. Before discarding old electronic devices, all personal data should be erased to pre- vent misuse. Additionally, payment apps should be used with care, as funds sent to scammers are often unrecoverable. For those living on campus, especially first-time residential students, dormitory safety is essential. Fire hazards are a sig- nificant risk, with the National Fire Protec- tion Association reporting that fire depart- ments responded to more than 3,000 fires in dormitories, sororities, fraternities, and similar housing between 2018 and 2022. 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