Puja spotlight on Beijing & Bihar

Ranchi, Sept. 8: The Bihar flood and India’s win at the Beijing Olympics will make the headlines again!

Durga Puja committees have made elaborate arrangements to make the festival memorable this year and current events like India’s victory and the disastrous floods would be part of the pandal decor.

The secretary of the Ranchi Mahanagar Puja Pandal Samiti, Krishna Yadav, said this year around 60 pandals would be constructed in the city. “Fifteen among these will be big pandals,” said Yadav.

Besides, Yadav said, they would be making special security arrangements in the wake of the recent bomb rumour at Big Bazaar. The series of blasts, too, could make for an interesting theme for the lighting.

“We will be asking for security from the local administration and have also made our own arrangements,” said the secretary.

While sharing details about RR Sporting Club, Yadav said, this time they have decided to make pandals of glass and beads.

“We have invited 50 artisans from Calcutta. Besides, there will also be special lighting arrangements to depict the Bihar floods and Beijing Olympics,” Yadav pointed out.

The total cost incurred in making a pandal is about Rs 1 lakh upwards.

However, Yadav said, they will be pumping Rs 4 lakh to make the pandals and Rs 2 lakh to fund the lights.

Meanwhile, Gopal Bhattacharya, the assistant secretary of the local Durgabari, said this would be the 126th Puja for them.

“We are the only ones to celebrate Puja in the traditional style. This year, we have already completed the structure of Goddess Durga for which we had invited three workers from the Birbhum district,” said the assistant secretary.

Besides, Bhattacharya said, they are also going to invite purohits (priests) from Mednipur to perform puja rituals.

“As far as prasad is concerned, we offer only puri and sweets to the devotees,” the assistant secretary said.

While Bakribazar, one of the most sought after places, pandals will follow the design of Tirupati Balaji.

Besides, the members of Netajinagar Durga Puja Samiti, Kantatoli, have also decided to make pandals of the Akshardham Temple.

Preparations for designing the pandal have already begun for which workers from the Hooghly district of Bengal have been roped in.

Meanwhile, many organisations like Punjabi Hindu Biradari have also chalked out plans to host a cultural programme during the festival. source: the telegraph india