The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Hindu Festival
Music, dance and worship herald the early days of a new culture in the Midlands as the four day festival of Durga Puja is celebrated in Birmingham for the first time in 1969.
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Overview
Durga Puja has its origins in Eastern India, particularly amongst Bengali Hindus, and is a celebration dedicated to the ten-armed goddess of Durga. This film shot as an ATV Today local news item shows what is said to be the first such celebration to be held in the Midlands and took place at the Shri Geeta Bhanwan Mandir, which had recently opened in a converted church on Heathfield Road on the border between Handsworth and Lozells in Birmingham.
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