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Haridevpur
When festive fervour is combined with a sense of responsibility, a True Spirit puja is born. Several pujas in this south Calcutta locality have gone by the book this year, focusing on the simple dos and don’ts that go into creating a safe, eco-friendly environment for celebration.
Last year’s Model Puja, 41 Pally, has lived up to its billing by integrating an eco-friendly, hazard-free environment with an innovative theme. Discarded logs, barks and branches of trees form web-like walls and abstract animal forms line the path that leads visitors to the sanctum sanctorum. A revolving wooden door automates crowd control at the entrance.
The creativity on view is supplemented by amenities that most puja organisers usually do not bother to provide. The clean toilets are a welcome change and the first-aid section even has camp cots. A trained nurse and an ambulance complete the medical arrangements.
Sodepur Pragati Sangha is not far behind 41 Pally when it comes to following the True Spirit commandments. There are emergency exits at the pandal, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and a well-stocked first-aid section.
Vivekananda Park Athletic Club, whose efforts in 2007 were rewarded with a Three Star rating, has turned its pandal into a riot of colours this year. Tiny origami flowers, swans and spiders adorn the painted bamboo walls, fortified with fire-retardant spray.
Ajeya Sanghati’s colourful caves and dunes, with a 14-foot Devi seated in the middle, make for a visual treat. There are emergency lights and water pipes in every corner. But the winding passage could have been illuminated better.
A potter from Lakshmikantapur village sits inside the pandal at Sarat Pally Sarbojonin Durgotsav and displays his skills in front of curious visitors. But the novelty is spoilt by the lack of attention to waste disposal. The drains flanking the entrance have been left open and the surroundings aren’t clean.
The fire-safety measures and first-aid facilities at Naskarpara Palli Unnayan Samity seemed inadequate. On the other hand, Amar Dip Sangha’s earnestness showed in the safety arrangements.
Maniktala
It is the story of David and Goliath on this stretch. Except that David and Goliath are often on the same side.
For example, Goliath Maniktala Chaltabagan Lohapatti Durgapuja, a former Five Star winner on Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani, and David Tekiapara Sarbojanin Durgatsav, a 104-year-old baroari puja, are promoting the same cause — that of a safe and happy puja.
Chaltabagan with its pandals and figurines made of metal sieves is not just innovative but also eco-friendly. The organisers have used two alternative sources of energy, wind and solar power. There is even a tiny “windmill” on top of the pandal.
The helpline numbers are displayed in three languages. With 10 CCTV cameras, back-up sources of power, fire extinguishers, drums of water and a medical booth with nurses, doctors, an oxygen cylinder and a bed, the organisers have left no stone unturned to make the puja a success.
The use of resources was impressive at the small and homely Tekiapara puja. The cloth and bamboo pandal, presenting a rural scene, had not, however, been sprayed with fire retardant chemicals (the organisers said it was beyond their means). Two pipes were connected to overhead tanks of neighbouring buildings as a precaution against fire.
The puja had a well-stocked first-aid box, three dustbins and a hand-drawn map showing the way out. The organisers perform community service throughout the year.
Rammohan Roy Road Durga Puja Committee’s effort was just as charming. The pandal looks like Auroville, the ashram formed by Sri Aurobindo Society. The goddess is dressed like a bride, in keeping with the theme “badhu beshe Uma” (Durga as Uma dressed as a bride).
The organisers’ initiative to restore an institution that houses 16 underprivileged boys won them points but the rather average crowd control measures disappointed.
The Uttar Kalikata Sarbojanin Durgatsava puja was decorated with white beans, sesame seeds, mustard, cucumber, gourd, bitter gourd and pumpkin seeds. The straw roof of an adjoining enclosure is highly flammable but the organisers seem oblivious to fire hazards.
Another disappointment was Sammilita Lalabagan Sarbojanin. Despite its straw and twig pandal being a fire hazard, fire extinguishers were not in place by Saptami afternoon.
Bhowanipore
From small housing estate pujas to lavish big-budget affairs, there is a cross-section of pujas in this area.
The puja organised by Nizam Palace Resident Officers’ Association is homely and has resident doctors and electrical engineers chipping in to fulfil the True Spirit criteria.
Harish Park Sarbojanin Durga Puja, an old participant in the True Spirit award, is a disaster. It neither has safety precautions in place nor are there provisions for drinking water, garbage disposal and first aid.
In contrast, 64-year-old 22 Palli Sarodotsab has everything, from emergency lighting to a ramp and wheelchair for the physically challenged to fire fighting equipment, in place. The pandal is modelled on a Hindu temple. The organisers have paid extra attention to security this year, installing CCTV cameras at the gates and employing 30 NCC cadets.
“There are many non-Bengalis in our para, so we are worshipping Hanuman, Vishnu and other gods and goddesses along with Durga and her children,” said Barun Chatterjee, an organiser.
The other star attraction, Chakraberia Sarbojanin Durgotsav, has nabapatrika as its theme. Fire retardant material has been used on dry leaves and hay. The ground had been layered with sand so that panda-hoppers do not have to wade through muck in case of rain.
Woodwork was used by many of the pandals, from Bhowanipore Swadhin Sangha to Forward Club, which had sprayed fire retardant chemicals on the pandals and kept fire extinguishers in every corner.
Lake Town- Dum Dum
Tribal themes and big budget pujas have stolen the show in Lake Town. Some small pujas, too, have managed to hold their own, thanks to team work.
The Rs 9-lakh Lake Town Adhibasi Brinda puja showcases splendid artwork in jute. The state or the mother is on a chariot drawn by 19 horses representing the 19 districts of West Bengal. Fire prevention and security arrangements were good but first-aid arrangements were being ignored on Saptami morning.
The Netaji Sporting Club puja was an exercise in opulence. “Most of our club members pay Rs 10,000 each to make this Rs 7-lakh puja a success,” said organiser Samiran Talukdar. The pandal, which depicts tribal culture, has CCTV cameras, security guards and fire extinguishers. Metal detectors, too, are being put to use in the evening. The first-aid room is also well-equipped. Tribal shows have been planned to entertain pandal-hoppers.
Performances by tribals from Orissa are an attraction at another puja with tribal theme, Sreepally Welfare Association. Here, first-aid facilities are available only in the evening.
Jawpur Bayam Samity is showcasing the folk art of Raghurajpur and Pipli. The pandal has only one entrance and exit, posing crowd management problems.
Nabadiganta Abasan Kalyan Samity depicts a beautiful collage of city and rural life on a piece of cloth. The waste disposal arrangement on the premises is a disappointment.
Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra created a black-and-white chess board, symbolising “the tussle of good and evil, human aspirations and global warming”. A peace message is also thrown in. Even the idol is in black and white.
Dolls from Midnapore adorn the Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha puja. The pandal and the adjacent water body were strewn with diyas. There were fire alarms and smoke detectors but no first-aid box.
“Mogoj dholai” (brainwashing) from Satyajit Ray’s Hirak Rajar Deshe is the theme at Greenpark Block B Sarbojonin Durga Puja. The sanctum sanctorum is full of scientific instruments. Sukdeb Das, a resident of the area, is doing a Santosh Dutta in the evening.
The Sinthee Agragami Sangha puja is the fruit of team effort. Even children helped in putting up the pandal, that depicts rural Bengal. Baul and kabigaan performances have been lined up in the evening.
Team effort was also evident at the puja organised by Central Park Nagoric Committee, made up of senior citizens.
Central Calcutta
Most pujas in central Calcutta score high on innovation and aesthetics but lose out on safety. Snaky alleys lead to pandals sitting cheek by jowl with residential buildings, as is the case with Madhya Kolkata Sarbojonin, opposite Medical College and Hospital, and Sishu Sangha. The pujas are disaster-prone despite safety measures being adopted.
Kumartuli Sarbojanin is another case in point. The electrical wires are in bad shape and there is no generator either. Human skulls and bones have been used to recreate a church in Sedlec, a town near Prague. The goddess has 30 hands, and holds lotuses instead of weapons.
Pujas like Pathuriaghata 5 Pally and Ahiritola Sarbojonin are exceptions. They have electric meters isolated from the main pandal, generators, firefighting equipment and CCTV cameras. There are first-aid kits and drinking water arrangements and the toilets are clean. Emergency numbers are prominently displayed.
The 5 Pally puja in Pathuriaghata showcases Indian classical dance with matchstick figures. The Rs 6-lakh Ahiritola Sarbojonin portrays the development of man from hunter-gatherer to farmer and herdsman. Iron sheets have been cut or beaten into shape to represent the sculptures.
Nearly 8,000 dolls have been used in the 43-year-old Darpanarayan Thakur Street Pally Samiti puja, said organiser Swapan Basak. A panel near the entrance shows development in doll-making. The pandal itself is cramped and music was being played too loud. The puja will donate Rs 11,000 to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Chowringhee High School Interact Club has organised a small puja with a big heart. The Rs 40,000 puja on the school premises, with save-the-environment theme, has been conceived and executed by students. It tries to promote communal harmony. Clean toilets, a first-aid counter and helpful volunteers make this puja a pleasure to attend.
Nagarik Kalyan Committee and Byabsayee Brind in Wellington, a first-time True Spirit entrant, has Rabindranath Tagore’s Sahaj Path as the theme. If you are found smoking here, you will be made to deposit your packet of cigarettes and collect it when you leave. There are separate entrances for men and women.
The smoking ban is given only lip service at other pandals. There is the “no smoking” sign, but no one to enforce it.
Ahiritola Sarbojanin Saradotsav scores for its elaborate sand sculptures of Durga and Mahishasura swallowing the earth by noted artist Sudarshan Pattnaik. The goddess is made of sea shells. At 20 Pally Sarbojanin on Brindaban Basak Street, lanterns made of tin containers, light the way.
Inputs by Mohua Das, Chandreyee Chatterjee, Malini Banerjee, Chandreyee Ghose and Romila SahaPictures by Pabitra Das and Amit Datta
Clarification: Barisha Youth Club (not Behala Youth Club as mentioned in Monday’s edition of Metro) is the organiser of Paschim Barisha Sarbojanin.
source: the telegraph india
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