Simla Bayam Samiti

Simla Byayam Samity — Pioneer of the Sarbojanin Durgotsab

Simla Byayam Samity, located at 9B Singhee Lane in Machuabazar, North Kolkata, holds a singular place in the history of Bengal's community Durga Puja. It is widely credited as the pioneer of the Sarbojanin (public, community) form of Durgotsab. The samity was founded on 2 April 1926 by Atindra Nath Basu, who conceived it as an institute of physical culture for the youth and a venue for social and nationalist activity.

In its early years the samity promoted wrestling, lathi (stick) training and later regimented military-style drill alongside football and volleyball. Its grounds, close to Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house, doubled as a meeting place for members of the Anushilan Samity and offered shelter to freedom fighters. The Durga Puja organised here became a focal point of the Swadeshi movement. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was closely associated with the celebration, and a large 'Annakaut' feast drew figures such as Netaji and his brother Sarat Chandra Bose.

Historically the club departed from convention by installing the deities on a single podium rather than the traditional 'ek-chala' frame, and dressed the idols in khadi — earning them the name 'Swadeshi Thakur'. Folk art and exhibitions on patriotic themes became a hallmark of the festivities. Celebrating what would have been its 99th year in 2024, Simla Byayam Samity remains a living link between Kolkata's physical-culture heritage and its freedom struggle.

Today the puja continues in the heart of North Kolkata near Girish Park Metro, cherished as much for its historical resonance as for its devotion — a must-visit for those tracing the origins of the city's barowari puja tradition.