Every autumn, a group of migrant workers returns home to Malda’s Paharpur area from distant states where they work round the year to support their families.

But their homecoming during Durga Puja is not just a family affair — it’s an endeavour to join the celebrations with a feeling of service to the community.

Fifty-two migrant workers from Paharpur, who are mostly employed as cooks in states like Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, organise an annual “bhandara” — a grand community lunch — on Ashtami, one of the most significant days of the festival.

This year, Ashtami will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 30.

The event is held at the Chandi Mandap, the local venue where goddess Durga and her family are worshipped for four days.

Open to all — regardless of religion, caste, or creed — the “bhandara” serves piping hot and delicious meals to thousands of devotees and local residents.

The menu typically includes seasonal fruits, luchi, vegetable curries. Not to forget halwa as dessert.

Despite their modest earnings, migrant workers happily bear the full cost of organising the feast.

“This Puja is being celebrated here for decades now,” said Manoj Rishi, a migrant worker and one of the organisers.

“We started the ‘bhandara’ around 12 years back and have continued the tradition ever since, funding it entirely ourselves,” he said.

Mithun Roy, another migrant worker and organiser, said that each of them contributes ₹11,000 for the feast.

“This year, we plan to serve around 15,000 people at the ‘bhandara’,” he said.

As most of them work professionally as cooks, they prepare and serve the meals themselves, saving significantly on labour costs.

“We know how to cook in bulk — it’s afterall our profession,” said Shyamal Rishi, who works in Rajasthan. “So, we cook and serve with our own hands.”

Sushil Rishi, an elderly Paharpur resident, said the “bhandara” was not just about tradition. “It’s a display of community spirit, selflessness and the enduring bond between migrants and their roots,” he said.

For the families of the migrants, Durga Puja is more than a festival. As 10-year-old Ajay Rishi, son of a migrant worker, put it: “Baba stays away for most of the year, but when Durga Ma comes to us, he also comes home. He and other uncles feed everyone on Ashtami, and we also help them.”