A bright sky since Sunday morning drew Puja revellers out in large numbers, with pandals across the city teeming with visitors from early afternoon. As evening descended, the crowds only thickened, with many choosing to make the most of the clear weather before rain forecast for later in the week.
Sashthi started on a bright and sunny note, with light rain reported in some areas. The improved weather lifted the spirits of pandal-hoppers, many of whom had been disheartened by earlier rain forecasts.
Meghmollar Basu, 32, an IT professional from Jadavpur, visited Maddox Square with his family on Sunday evening. “We are going out of Calcutta on Ashtami, so we want to cover as many pandals as we can before that. There was no rain since this morning, so we set out in the afternoon,” said Basu, who was accompanied by his wife, daughter, and parents.
Schoolteacher Pooja Chatterjee Roy, who had pandal-hopped through Saturday night, was out again on Sunday evening with daughter Meghoranjini, 8, husband Abhishek and mother Suparna Chatterjee.
“We visited pujas in south Calcutta and Dum Dum on Saturday. Today, we’re planning to see some in north Calcutta,” she said, adding that she was heading to a friend’s place in Nalin Sarkar Street and would visit Kashi Bose Lane.
Several Puja organisers reported that Sunday’s turnout was significantly higher than typical Sashthi evenings. Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, mentor of Tala Prattoy, said: “I heard people discussing that they did not want to delay visiting pandals as they were not sure if the remaining Puja days will be as sunny as Sunday.” He added that Tala Prattoy’s pandal was packed from late afternoon, with crowds constantly streaming in.
In south Calcutta, Ballygunge Cultural Association reported similar scenes. “The 250-metre stretch of Lake View Road was full of people from end to end,” said general secretary Anjan Ukil.
Organisers noted that visitors began arriving around noon, and by 2.30pm the crowds had swelled, turning pandals into seas of heads.
Public transport was crowded. Metro Railway’s Blue Line remained packed throughout the day, with Kalighat, Dum Dum, and Esplanade among the busiest stations. The Green Line also saw heavy footfall. More than 9.82 lakh passengers travelled on the Metro on Panchami, the highest ever daily count in the history of the service. The previous record, 9.61 lakh, was set on last year’s Sashthi.
To manage the surge in crowds and traffic, Kolkata Police deployed 22,000 personnel starting at 4pm. A large number of NCC volunteers were also posted.
“Traffic was smoother than Saturday, likely because of the clear skies,” said an officer. Roads near shopping hubs like Gariahat saw more congestion in the afternoon due to last-minute Puja shopping.
Crowds were especially heavy around major Puja spots, including Santosh Mitra Square, College Square, Chetla Agrani, Suruchi Sangha, and Tridhara Sammilani. Central Avenue, Hatibagan, and Bowbazar in the north, and New Alipore in the south also saw large footfall through the evening, an officer said.