Artisans work on the mammoth image of Kali at Bishalgarh on Tuesday. Picture by UB Photos

Mariam Nagar, Oct. 21: Residents of this sleepy village, not far from the Tripura capital, are setting new standards of secularism.

For the fourth consecutive year, Kali Puja at Mariam Nagar, 12 km from Agartala, will be a celebration not just of the victory of good over evil, but also communal amity that goes beyond the platitudes of politicians. Mariam Nagar, as the name suggests, was a Catholic Christian village a couple of centuries ago. Today, this hamlet of about 200 families is a composite one, comprising 80 Hindu, 70 Muslim and 50 Christian households.

But that is not where the novelty lies. Mariam Nagar’s claim to fame it’s the unique bonding among its residents, one that makes religion almost immaterial. It is reflected in the community Kali Puja celebrations, in which each family participates with equal fervour.

A six-km drive on the national highway east of Agartala and a left turn takes one to Kashipur village. A 10-minute walk through a typically pastoral landscape, gently caressed by the autumnal breeze, takes the visitor to Mariam Nagar.

Time appears to stand still in the village, long deprived of the fruits of development. A group of youths from Jaisingpara, a locality dominated by tribal Hindus, are busy collecting donations for the Kali Puja. Abdul Haq, 29, is part of the group.

“We have been organising common Kali Puja celebrations for four years now. It is our way of bonding with one another,” he says. Haq’s Catholic friend Rathindra Karmakar, 31, and Bimal Debbarma, a Hindu, nod in approval.

The community celebrations are organised under the aegis of the Mariam Nagar Club, of which every resident is a member. Michael Mazumder, a schoolteacher, says the religious rituals are “faithfully” observed. “Our aim is to maintain the purity of Kali Puja without making any non-Hindu family feel left out.”

Adding to the flavour of the celebrations this year will be the spectacle of three girls — Roma, Rehana and Martina — beating the dhak.

Kaziul Islam, one of the main organisers, says pictures associated with all three major religions will be used to decorate the pandal this year. “We believe that the body is the temple of the living God, irrespective of whether a person is a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian,” Nelson Debbarma, standing next to him, adds.

For anybody looking for inspiration to transcend the boundaries of religion, a visit to Mariam Nagar this Kali Puja is a must.