Durga Puja

Organisers of Durga Pujas in the city also feel that competitions and events help them raise money from sponsors.

The magnitude of the celebrations can be gauged from the lavish budget some of the puja committees boast of. For example, Shiv Mandir has a fund of approximately Rs 40 lakh, while the B-Block Puja Samiti estimates their collections around Rs 35 lakh. The Puja Samiti in Matri Mandir has a budget of Rs 25 lakh. Also, the footfall experienced at the pandals has only grown every year. Suman Chatterjee, secretary, Navapalli Puja Samiti, says, "Huge crowd throng the pandal on all days of the puja. There are nearly 40,000 people in the pandal at any given point of time.''

"In the past 12 weeks, terrorists carried out attacks in several places in the country. Such attacks were carried out twice in Delhi recently. During the Puja, there will be a huge turnout of people. Therefore, there is a need of additional security," Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said today.

A high-level meeting will be held tomorrow to review security arrangements during the Puja, he said.

Asked what kind of equipment would be used, he said, while CCTV could be used in some of the big Puja venues, it may not be possible to use metal detectors keeping in mind the massive turnout of people. "There is no dearth of equipment. The point is which of these are to be utilised and how."

Taking lessons from security arrangements made in Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi, the state government would increase vigil and make additional police patrols, he said, adding more volunteers would be recruited from local clubs to ensure vigilance.

While appealing to the puja committees to remain alert, he said "they have been told that vigilance should also be part of their activities."

It is a festival of bright lights, colours, gaiety and a time when the city puts its best foot forward - and this year is no exception as Kolkata decks up and gets ready to make a style statement.

It has become a custom to wear new clothes on Durga Puja. Initially it was symbolic, but now it means something more. It's now perceived as the perfect time to make a style statement.

The rush at the malls and clothing shops is proof of the fact that citizens of Kolkata are on the hunt for the perfect dress for the occasion.

"The trend this year for both men and women is a fusion of filmy and non-filmy dresses," city-cased fashion designer Pali Sachdeva told IANS.

"For example men are going for similar waist coats as are worn by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in the television game show 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai'. As for young women, they are more inclined to bright-coloured tisuue chiffons as worn by actor Katrina Kaif in her recent films like 'Singh Is Kinng', but matching them with unusual matt-finish blouses," Sachdeva said.

With less than two weeks to go for the Pujas, few organisers would have taken time off to launch a `save the tree' campaign in the locality and alter their theme to save a patch of green. But a group of Hatibagan residents have done just that.

As trees continue to be hacked and environment norms ignored in Kolkata, members of the Hatibagan Sarbojonin puja committee have taken it upon themselves to organize a green puja this time. They will make sure that their pandal doesn't have an ounce of nonbiodegradable material. Measures are being taken to ensure that not an inch of grass is damaged by the pandal.

Flagging off the final preparations on Sunday, the committee members distributed saplings to 500 households in the area. "We have urged our neighbours to nurse the trees and we shall plant them at our local park. Our city is fast losing its green cover. We shall fight to save it through our puja," said Abhijit Bose, one of the organizers.

To begin with, WBTDC will organize pre-Puja parikramas at night for about 450 people on October 4-5. Four buses will start around 10 pm and tour 13 locations before returning to the tourism office around 6 am.

The pandals to be visited include College Square, Kashi Bose Lane, Mohammad Ali Park, Mudiali, Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park and Park Circus. Those preferring to travel by AC buses will have to fork out Rs 600 per head while others Rs 400. The pandal hoppers will be served packed dinner.

From October 5-8, WBTDC will conduct trips to traditional Pujas on the outskirts of Kolkata. For Rs 1,200 per head, people can travel by Tata Sumos to the 300-year-old Goswami Barir Puja in Serampore, the Sheoraphuli Rajbari and the terracotta Naba Kailash temple in Kalna. The tourists will be treated to lunch at the 552-year-old baroari Puja in Guptipara. The trips start at 7 am.

Like on previous occasions, WBTDC will also take the riverine route from October 5-9. MV Sumangal and MV Sarbajaya will carry 120 passengers between 10 am and 1 pm and 6 pm and 9 pm for a special Puja trip on the Hooghly. Those opting for the morning trip will be charged Rs 500 while those going on the evening ride another Rs 100 extra. The vessels will depart from the Outram Ghat jetty. Between October 6 and 8, revellers will be taken to seven famous family Pujas, including Hatkhola Dutta Bari and Shovabazar Rajbari. WBTDC will also bid adieu to the Devi on October 10 and 11 between 6 pm and 7.30 pm and 8 pm-9.30 pm on board the MV Sumangal and MV Sarbajaya.

For the first time, WBTDC has planned packages for high-end tourists from outside the state. A two nights/three day stay at a four star hotel will work out to Rs 21,000 plus taxes. This will include pandal-hopping and other attractions.

Despite a pollution control board ban on the use of leadmixed paints, most Durga idols have been painted with these colours. In fact, artisans at Kumartuli said that over 60% of the work has been completed with paints laced with lead. Only a few puja committees have ordered idols that have not been painted with these colours.

Achinto Mukherjee, one of the organisers of Ekdalia Evergreen puja committee, said they are in favour of leadfree paints. "However, our artisan, Sanatan Rudra Pal, informed us that over 60% of idols have been painted with colours mixed with lead. It is very difficult to change the idol's colour now. However, he promised to minimize the use of lead as much as possible now," Mukherjee said.

Pal is also making the idol for the College Square Puja committee. Badal Bhattacharya, one of its organisers, said that the budget might shoot up if lead-free paints are used and this might pose a problem.

The puja committees will have to state in writing that they will not allow use of plastic bags less than 40 micron in thickness in or around the pandals and will limit microphone sound at 65 decibel.

They will also have to arrange for sufficient drinking water and first-aid facilities in the pandals. Only licenced electricians can be hired for illuminating mandaps.

The organisers will have to hand over to the authorities route maps of immersion processions and restore roads that they will dig up for puja.

"The guidelines have been drawn up keeping in mind the huge turnout at the pandals and the absence of any effective crowd-management strategy. Pujas will be allowed only if the organisers agree to follow the guidelines," said Asoke Das, the sub-divisional officer of Bidhannagar.

Quite a few puja committees are open to the idea of using lead-free colours for the idols this year but the puja in Salt Lake's FD block is the only one that has committed itself to the green cause.

Idols are usually painted in colours that have a high percentage of toxic chemicals, particularly lead. After they are immersed, the chemicals pollute rivers and water bodies.

In 1993-95, a Central Pollution Control Board study had found that the concentration of heavy metals increased considerably in the Hooghly water after the immersions. More than 32 tonnes of toxic paints mixed with the water after immersions during the period.

The need for providing such training was felt after noticing many a priests not paying due attention on their pronunciation skills of Sanskrit-based Shlokas.

Jayanta Kushari, an expert priest, is conducting the training programme where trainees of all age groups have enrolled themselves to acquire proper knowledge and work upon various areas of improvement.

The training program, which is being conducted at Sovabazar Raj Bari in Kolkata from August 26 to September 3, is focusing on improving pronunciation through voice modulations.

According to the trainer Jayanta Kushari, Durga Puja is partly known for its religious fervour and the ceremony involved.

"We welcome tourists during the Pujas and there will be no bandh in that period. If any emergency arises, we will make it public 20 days before," said GJM chief Bimal Gurung.

GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, "this human gesture underscores the fact that we are not against tourism."

The statement is seen as a reaction to the pressure from locals to boost tourism during the Pujas -- the movement may lose popular support if tourists shun Darjeeling.

The GJM agitation for a separate Gorkhaland had often caused blockades that hit the tourists hard. On occasions, , the police had to come to their rescue.

The next tourist season starts from September 15, but the main rush is during the fortnight-long Puja vacation. Hotel owners in Darjeeling can expect to rake in around Rs 3 crore in that period, an industry source said.

Sangay Tshering Bhutia, the president of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hotel Owners' Association, said: "The association representatives met Morcha president Bimal Gurung last evening and he assured us that there would be no strikes during Puja."

Gurung said Puja was an important festival when a large number of tourists come to Darjeeling. "We will not disturb the festivities."

Tourism, which plays a significant role in the local economy, was badly hit when the Morcha called an "indefinite" strike during the tourist season in May-June, virtually forcing visitors to leave the hills overnight.

Every rupee spent on Badamtala Ashar Sangha Puja at Chetla this year will come from the coffers of Media Morphosis, owned by New York-based Adris Chakrabarty. The company will market the event to recover its investment.

The company’s Indian subsidiary, Mumbai-based Manhattan Communications, will start a publicity campaign to attract sponsors in the run-up to the autumn festival. And MLA Fatakeshto Mithun will be the ticket to more eyeballs. On Friday, the actor turned up for the first promotional shoot in Mumbai.

“This is an effort to marry creativity with commerce on a corporate platform. Puja in Calcutta showcases wonderful artistic innovations and we are happy to play a supporting role,” Gautam Majumder, a senior official of the company, told Metro.

“The club has been branding its Puja cheap and we want to scale it up,” he added.

First up would be an SMS contest titled Experience Badamtala with prizes galore to select a theme for this edition of the south Calcutta club’s Puja.

Mridul Pathak, one of the patrons of the Puja, sold the idea of a tie-up to Chakrabarty during a trip to New York earlier this year.

“We tried to impress upon the company that we brought to life some unique themes and won accolades over the past few years without spending crores. Last year, we won eight awards,” said Suvajit Sarkar, the convener of the puja.

A team of company officials, led by Chakrabarty, visited Calcutta in March and held a discussion with the club’s members on Dol Jatra. The deal was signed soon after.

Dark clouds and rain left revellers in a state of despair, as many puja pandals remained inaccessible because of water-logging.

Holding umbrellas, men, women and children dressed in their best had to wade through ankle deep water at many places as the showers continued all through the morning.

Though no major damage to any pandal was reported in the metropolis due to rain, organisers were left apprehensive. The weatherman forecast light to moderate rains in the gangetic West Bengal in next 24 hours.

The excitement was palpable as the kids gathered at Prinsep Ghat at 9.30 am to board the buses. "Gadi ta taratari chhadchena keno? (why isn't the bus rolling)," asked six year old Putul Rai, who couldn't wait for the fun to start rolling. "I have been told that we would be taken to big pandals and I just can't wait to see them," she gushed.

According to a deputy municipal commissioner (DMC), some 124 mandals were issued permission for the puja.

The 16 mandals, which have been served notices by the TMC, are from the Uthalsar, Naupda and Vartak Nagar ward committees, he said.

"Of these, we found that there were irregularities in nine mandals. These irregularities ranged from various issues like lack of necessary permission, encroachment on roads and so on," he said, "We have issued them show cause notices and have asked them to rectify the irregularities."