Shillong, Oct. 17: This Pujas, Shillong will slay the demon of communal hatred.

The central puja committee has organised a special programme, ?Get-together for Harmony?, to drive home the message that Durga Puja is not just a religious festival but also an occasion to foster the spirit of togetherness and peace.

Leaders of various religions, non-government organisations and traditional institutions have been invited to the get-together, to be held at the Survey of India premises.

Central puja committee general secretary J.L. Das said he was confident the conclave for peace would lead to bigger and better things. ?We want to bring different groups, religious and otherwise, together to talk about the need to make our lives more meaningful. In fact, our committee has been trying to do this for a few years now.?

Another member said the all-religion get-together could set a trend. ?We expect it to make a huge difference insofar as communal amity is concerned.?

Leaders of the Seng Khasi, the Church of North India, the Ram Krishna Mission and the mosques of Shillong are expected to participate in the conclave. Governor M.M. Jacob has been invited, too.

Over the years, the central puja committee has undertaken several social service programmes. This year, the committee provided relief to people affected by floods.

Das, who has been at the helm of affairs since the committee?s inception, said organising a get-together for communal harmony during a festival was a way of ?creating space? for every community to mingle with one another.

?We intend to reach out to people from all sections of society through their representatives and begin the festive season with a prayer for peace and harmony,? he said.

As many as 57 pandals have been set up across Shillong. Artists from Calcutta and Nabadwip, not far from the Bengal capital, have been invited by several committees to decorate the pandals.

The festive spirit has already overcome residents, going by the rush of consumers at most retail stores.

The district administration has framed a set of guidelines to streamline the flow of traffic during the four-day festival.