26 years ago on the 1st July 1999, I started shuktara with Anna and Sunil.
Anna died in 2018 and I miss him every day, but Sunil is still there flying flags and shuktara continues to grow under the strong leadership of Pappu.
Happy Founders Day!
David Earp
Saraswati Puja at Anna Bari Monday 3rd February 2025
On the 14th February we celebrated Saraswati Puja at Anna Bari.
Dolyatra is celebrated in March on varying dates each year, depending on the position of the moon, and this year it fell on March 7. The holiday is similar to Holi and commemorates the last festival of the Bengali calendar.
As the holiday season in the West begins, in India the festival season began with Vishwakarma Puja back in September. Vishwakarma Puja was held in the Shuktara Cakes Bakery space which is now on the ground floor of Anna Bari.
Durga Puja is the main festival, but due to Coronavirus restrictions the only outings made were by the Shuktara Cakes team who were selling patisserie at a local Puja.
Following Durga Puja we celebrated Diwali and Kali Puja and ended our festivities with Jagadhatri Puja held on the 12th and 13th of November outside Anna Bari, where everyone from both homes attended and the local residents enjoyed socialising with our young people and staff.
Our friend Debasish dressed up as Santa Claus to deliver gifts to all the boys, girls and young people at Anna Bari and Lula Bari. You can see by the smiles that everyone was happy and absolutely delighted with their presents.
Ziffit is partnered with Virgin Money Giving to allow you to donate 100% of the value of your unwanted books, CDs, DVDs, and games into cash donations to Shuktara Trust (UK).
You can donate the value of your unwanted stuff to charity – without leaving your home – through Ziffit.
Click here to find out more about Ziffit and download the app.
