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| Rimjhim Mitra joins women dancing to Mor bani thanghat kare from Ram-Leela. Pictures: Sayantan Ghosh |
SANTOSH MITRA SQUARE
What: Micromax presents The Telegraph Puja Premier League, in association with Kutchina
Where: Santosh Mitra Square, Lebutala, Sealdah
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| The actress cheers on as a participant blows a conch |
The theme: “This year, it is Abu Simbel, situated in Egypt. People associate only the pyramids with Egypt but this temple, built in 13th century BC, was covered in sand till it was discovered by a young boy named Abu Simbel,” said Pradip Ghosh, president, Santosh Mitra Square puja committee.
Activities: Dance performances, poetry recitation and singing.
Rooting for the club is: Rimjhim Mitra. “Durga Puja is not only an offering to the goddess but also a celebration of art, culture and creativity. So, it is a pleasure to be associated with a north Calcutta puja, especially Santosh Mitra Square as they have a rich cultural heritage. They are a very strong contender and I’m sure they’ll win PPL by a huge margin! I enjoyed every moment spent there, especially dancing with the girls on stage,” said the Tolly actress.
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| Koneenica Banerjee tries her hand at dancing with the dhunuchi |
MANIKTALA CHALTABAGAN LOHAPATTY
What: Micromax presents The Telegraph Puja Premier League, in association with Kutchina
Where: Maniktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty, Maniktala
The theme: “In our 72nd year, we have tried to represent that all life is one. As we celebrate Durga Puja, we want to send out the message — ‘stop destruction and killing’. We have used tin cans to make representations of life-like animals and birds and our pandal is decorated with pillars with such designs. In ancient times, pillars with sculptures were used to depict the life and times. All our decorations are handmade and hand-painted,” said Suren Khara, general secretary of the puja committee. “Keeping our cultural heritage in mind, we always try to incorporate the past in our theme. We also do a lot of social work for the underprivileged. During this festive season, it’s important that everyone is happy and enjoys equally,” said Sundeep Bhutoria, chairman of the committee.
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| Koneenica presented children with a year’s supply of school books and stationery |
Activities: Playing the dhaak to dancing with the dhunuchi, actress Koneenica Banerjee showed the way to celebrate it right.
Rooting for the club is:
Koneenica Banerjee. “I have been associated with Maniktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty for the last 10 years. Six years back, I had performed Mahishasurmardini on this stage. So I was absolutely thrilled to know that I would be representing Maniktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty in the Puja Premier League. They won last year and hopefully this year too, they’ll win!” said Koneenica.
Deborima Ganguly
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
