Prasad platter

Jamshedpur, Oct. 17: Festivities and food are complimentary to each other during the Durga Puja. Everyone gets the licence to gorge on all the junk foods, right from phuchkas to egg rolls. But the youth and the old wait for their share of the bhog.

Bhog is exclusively available on the three big days of celebrations. While some Puja committees here have planned to package the bhog differently this year, others wish to dish out the traditional platter.

Some of the Puja committees also mark the occasion with charity and distribute the bhog among the needy.

Organisers at the Hind Club, Ranikudar, said: “We distribute free bhog among nearly 10,000 people per day and this has been a long-standing custom here to ensure that every devotee tastes the bhog.”

Officials of Bhuiyandih Area Durga Puja committee keep the kitchen hearth burning till late so that no devotee is denied of his/her share. On the last day of the Puja, they go out to over 10 slums and villages around the city to distribute bhog among the poor.

The Tinplate Sarbojanin Durga Puja Committee has planned an elaborate platter for the Nabami bhog on the occasion of their platinum jubilee. Rich pulao, mixed vegetable sabji, luchi/puri, fritters, chutney and payesh would be served there.

“As we are trying to make our Puja pandal a plastic-free zone this year, we have also decided to give away the bhog handis in cloth bags instead of plastic carry bags,” said Shubhro Goswami, the president of the committee.

The Halud Bani Durga Puja committee members, too, have planned to replace the normal rice with specially flavoured Dehradun rice. Five varieties of sabjis and two kinds of fritters would also be served as bhog.

“The bhog will be served in pots made of special attractive earthenware from Asanboni,” said Ambika Banerjee, a senior member of the committee.

People visiting the Sonari Central Durga Puja will receive the traditional bhog in a new package. The organisers, on the occasion of the golden jubilee of their Puja, have brought in huge consignments of polished bhaand from Calcutta.