Non-violent themes this puja

From non-violence to India’s historic 1983 World Cup win, it’s all here this Puja.

Driven by a healthy para rivalry, Durga pujas dotting Behala’s Haridevpur have come up with a wide range of themes this year.

Puja themes include sindoor kouto (sindoor container), sandesh, paper and bamboo art works and a tree’s life after death.

In their platinum jubilee year, Dinajaner Sarbojonin Matripuja is recreating the balcony of Lord’s to mark the silver jubilee of the Indian cricket team’s World Cup triumph. The Haryana Hurricane, however, will not be able to lift this Cup as it will be a 35-ft structure, to be placed above the entrance of the mandap, the organisers said.

At Sodepur Pragati Sangha, goddess Durga will lay down all arms except the trishul and hold lotuses instead. Mahishasura, who will be depicted as dead, will have no blood on him, keeping in mind the theme of non-violence.

Defending champions of The Telegraph-CESC Awards and the winner of a host of other prizes, 41 Palli will have a goddess who has shunned even the trishul. Inspired by Bonbibi — worshipped in the Sunderbans — the Durga will be housed in a forest ambience, created with 60,000 tree parts.

“We have used parts of 30 varieties of trees for decoration. But no tree was cut to build the mandap; we used wood that had been sold as fuel,” said Dipankar Chatterjee of 41 Palli.

The main draw at this Puja will be Sorab Sardar’s woodwork collection. From the poodle to the dinosaur, the peacock to the porcupine, there is wide variety of animals in the collection inspired by the Joynagar resident’s trips to the jungle for 40 years. While most pieces have been left in their natural form, some have been worked on a bit.

Inspired by Abanindranath Tagore, Sardar had started collecting all kinds of tree parts — stumps, roots, bark — that appealed to him as an artist. Tagore had his own collection of tree parts, which he termed kathum kuthum.

Vivekananda Sporting Club is also ready to impress with their theme “Satir Sindoor Kouto” (The goddess’s sindoor container). “We are using more than 6,000 sindoor cases and focusing on tribal women, who started the use of sindoor,” said an organiser.

Another Puja with an uncommon theme is Haridevpur Adarsha Samity, showcasing Bengali delicacy narkoler mishti (coconut sweets), while Vivekananda Park Athletic Club has planned a grand structure for the mandap with different types of bamboo and are decorating it with intricate origami. source: telegraph india