LUCKNOW, Sept. 29 -- While Bengali Club's Durga Puja, which began in 1914, is widely regarded as the city's oldest public celebration of the festival, community elders recall a Durga Puja event that is, in fact, older and has links with the British Residency.

According to a popular belief among the Bengali community, the 'first' celebration was not accompanied by grandeur or fanfare. Then, rituals were performed to an image of Goddess Durga on a calendar. This story has travelled through generations.

It is believed that a member of the Bengali community, who had settled in Lucknow during the colonial era, quietly organised the city's first Durga Puja at the Residency around 19o9. The ritual was a private affair, attended only by a handf...