Dibrugarh Durga Puja
DIBRUGARH, Sept 20: Grander, the better seems to be the motto for most of the Durga Puja celebration committees.
At the last counting, eighty-three applications applying for permission had been submitted to the district administration. However, all eyes are on the few Durga Puja celebrations in the town that always stand out with their lighting and elaborate pandals. One of them is the Jhalukpara Durga Puja that has entered its fifty-second year of celebration. The organizing committee has hired Kolkata artisans to build their pandal on the lines of Disneyland. The inspiration for the pandal last year was the Titanic and a talking point for puja revellers. The budget for this year’s celebration has been pegged between six to seven lakh rupees.
The idol of Durga Goddess will nestle in a peepal tree like pandal at Graham Bazar puja celebration. A zoo with animals made out of iron mesh is being built by the artisans hired by the celebration committee. Sandip Tulsiyan of the Graham Bazar Durga Puja celebration committee said that they would be spending around eight lakh rupees. He also stated that the light work would be astounding this year. The claim is likely to be justified as the Durga Puja celebration is known for their innovative themes. They had recreated a railway station last year.
A replica of the Rani Sati temple at Jhunjunu in Rajasthan is being built for the pandal in the Jyotinagar Durga Puja. The contractor undertaking its construction has brought artisans for Kolkata to build it.
The Marwaripatty Durga Puja organizers plan to beat their other counterparts in the town with the intricate artwork on the pandal. Almost half of this year’s budget is being spent on it. The facade will have golden metal work on ply and Hessian cloth.
Compared to the others, the New Market Durga Puja committee has little to boast in way of pandal and light work even though they are celebrating their golden jubilee this year. They are concentrating on putting up remarkable cultural programmes on the four days of the puja. A Chhau dance troupe has been invited from Kolkata for the purpose. The budget for the organizers is around five lakh rupees.
However, as in other years, huge spending has been bypassed in the Durga Puja celebration near Amolapatty Natya Mandir. The permanent structure of the mandir built in 1871, does away with the need for a pandal and a tarpaulin is put outside to save visitors from the rain or sun. Advocate Satyabrata Sarma, who is the working president of the celebration committee, said that their stress is more on following the rituals during the Puja as laid in the Vedas. He further revealed that, the collection is nominal and various individuals sponsor the idol and the performance of pujas on the four days.
Few such simple celebrations remain. Voices lamenting the commercialization of a religious event can be heard. A bank official, on the condition of anonymity, said that a pot, a coconut, strings with mango leaves and a sari wrapped banana plant were all that was needed to perform Durga Puja. He further said that, the commercialization started with the zamindars of West Bengal trying to beat each other with grand puja celebrations in order to prove their power and affluence. For the banker, Durga Puja is actually Durga Utsav, now with the religious fervour taking a back seat.
A former teacher, Subodh Chandra Singha, is in his eighties said that celebrating Durga Puja used to be a modest affair earlier. There were no huge pandals or elaborate lighting then, the octogenarian added.
It is with a sense of loss that the Manager of Tinsukia branch of National Insurance Company, Manash Das, celebrates Durga Puja now. In his younger days, he and his friends used to build the pandal as well as become dhakis for four days. According to Das, people have become lazier and prefer to hire contractors and workers. This member of India Club sees the change in the celebration of Durga Puja in his own institution that has remained modest in their spending on the pandal and lighting. The plays that used to be staged on the four days of the event are a thing of the past. He said that there were few takers when the tradition was sought to be revived. THE SENTINEL
DIBRUGARH, Sept 20: Grander, the better seems to be the motto for most of the Durga Puja celebration committees.
At the last counting, eighty-three applications applying for permission had been submitted to the district administration. However, all eyes are on the few Durga Puja celebrations in the town that always stand out with their lighting and elaborate pandals. One of them is the Jhalukpara Durga Puja that has entered its fifty-second year of celebration. The organizing committee has hired Kolkata artisans to build their pandal on the lines of Disneyland. The inspiration for the pandal last year was the Titanic and a talking point for puja revellers. The budget for this year’s celebration has been pegged between six to seven lakh rupees.
The idol of Durga Goddess will nestle in a peepal tree like pandal at Graham Bazar puja celebration. A zoo with animals made out of iron mesh is being built by the artisans hired by the celebration committee. Sandip Tulsiyan of the Graham Bazar Durga Puja celebration committee said that they would be spending around eight lakh rupees. He also stated that the light work would be astounding this year. The claim is likely to be justified as the Durga Puja celebration is known for their innovative themes. They had recreated a railway station last year.
A replica of the Rani Sati temple at Jhunjunu in Rajasthan is being built for the pandal in the Jyotinagar Durga Puja. The contractor undertaking its construction has brought artisans for Kolkata to build it.
The Marwaripatty Durga Puja organizers plan to beat their other counterparts in the town with the intricate artwork on the pandal. Almost half of this year’s budget is being spent on it. The facade will have golden metal work on ply and Hessian cloth.
Compared to the others, the New Market Durga Puja committee has little to boast in way of pandal and light work even though they are celebrating their golden jubilee this year. They are concentrating on putting up remarkable cultural programmes on the four days of the puja. A Chhau dance troupe has been invited from Kolkata for the purpose. The budget for the organizers is around five lakh rupees.
However, as in other years, huge spending has been bypassed in the Durga Puja celebration near Amolapatty Natya Mandir. The permanent structure of the mandir built in 1871, does away with the need for a pandal and a tarpaulin is put outside to save visitors from the rain or sun. Advocate Satyabrata Sarma, who is the working president of the celebration committee, said that their stress is more on following the rituals during the Puja as laid in the Vedas. He further revealed that, the collection is nominal and various individuals sponsor the idol and the performance of pujas on the four days.
Few such simple celebrations remain. Voices lamenting the commercialization of a religious event can be heard. A bank official, on the condition of anonymity, said that a pot, a coconut, strings with mango leaves and a sari wrapped banana plant were all that was needed to perform Durga Puja. He further said that, the commercialization started with the zamindars of West Bengal trying to beat each other with grand puja celebrations in order to prove their power and affluence. For the banker, Durga Puja is actually Durga Utsav, now with the religious fervour taking a back seat.
A former teacher, Subodh Chandra Singha, is in his eighties said that celebrating Durga Puja used to be a modest affair earlier. There were no huge pandals or elaborate lighting then, the octogenarian added.
It is with a sense of loss that the Manager of Tinsukia branch of National Insurance Company, Manash Das, celebrates Durga Puja now. In his younger days, he and his friends used to build the pandal as well as become dhakis for four days. According to Das, people have become lazier and prefer to hire contractors and workers. This member of India Club sees the change in the celebration of Durga Puja in his own institution that has remained modest in their spending on the pandal and lighting. The plays that used to be staged on the four days of the event are a thing of the past. He said that there were few takers when the tradition was sought to be revived. THE SENTINEL
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