A group of rural women, around 26km from Alipurduar town, are organising a Durga Puja entirely with funds collected from the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, the state’s monthly cash assistance for women.
The 200-member Mejbil Mahila Porichalito Durga Puja Committee, in Alipurduar Block-I, is leading the initiative. Most of them are from the Rajbangshi community.
This year, the committee failed to submit the documents required to avail the ₹1.10 lakh government grant provided to every puja committee.
“If we had received the fund, we would have been quite relieved, as it would have spared us the burden of going door to door for collections,” an organising committee member said, adding that they hope to receive it next year.
Committee secretary Kanika Shingha Roy explained: “Every month, we receive ₹1,200 from Lakshmir Bhandar. We, 20 members, donated our one-month assistance in advance to make bookings. Later, other members contributed from their Lakshmir Bhandar funds as well.”
The fund contributed by the twenty executive members amounts to ₹24,000. Other members are donating between ₹300 and ₹500. So far, they have raised around ₹90,000.
The organisers estimate they will need at least ₹2 lakh for the celebrations. Some residents have also stepped forward with donations.
Narayan Sarkar, a resident, gifted the Durga idol.
From Saptami to Navami, khichri and sabji will be served at the pandal, feeding about 300 people daily. Locals, Kuntal Barman and Kajol Sarkar, pledged to sponsor the meals for Saptami and Ashtami. Funding for Navami remains uncertain.
“If no donor comes forward, the committee will bear the cost,” said a member of the organising committee, noting that it would cost about ₹40,000 per day.
This is the 13th year of the Mejhbil puja, organised along the Alipurduar–Falakata Road. Earlier, women in the area would listen to the sounds of dhak and microphones from nearby villages. Determined to celebrate themselves, they formed an all-women committee, with men providing secondary assistance.
From Panchami to Navami, children and folk groups from neighbouring areas will perform at the pandal. “We have to pay the performers, decorators, lighting and audio equipment suppliers. Managing funds is always a challenge, but we have kept the tradition alive for 13 years,” said Kanika.