Guwahati, Sept. 27: The sound of dhak reverberated in Puja pandals on a bright and sunny Saptami.

Dressed in their resplendent best, people started pandal-hopping early in the morning in a bid to cover as many mandaps as possible.

People came out early to avoid the crowd and traffic snarls. As the evening wore on, roads were chock-a-block with cars and bikes, affecting the movement of pedestrians.

Going by the trend on Saptami, Puja organiers and police expect the rush to increase on Ashtami, which is generally reserved for anjali (offering), bhog and revelry.

Police personnel were present at all the Puja pandals to maintain law and order.

The 102-feet tall Durga idol in Bishnupur drew large crowds. The organisers of Kamarpatty Sarbajanin Durga Puja decided to make clay idols this year to avoid use of cloth, artificial hair and jewellery.

Since 1971, the year this Puja was started, artisan Pradip Das of Danish Roadhad made Mahishasurthree times bigger than the Durga idol, making it one of the main attractions of the Puja, one of the organisers of the Puja said.

After his accidental death on Dashami a few years ago, others tried their hands at it but the committee was not satisified and the practice was discontinued in 2014.

The committee is contemplating to revive the tradition on the golden jubileeof the Puja in 2021.

Crowds were also seen at Latasil, Bharalumukh, Maligaon and Pandu. Amid the colourful displays and glitz, Puja committees this year have adopted the use of eco-friendly materials in the construction of pandals, used LED lights, reduced the use of harmful chemicals in idols and installed CCTV cameras.

Maintaining cleanliness has also been given priority, conforming to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Restaurants did good business today with the old and the young thronging their favourite eateries after offering prayers.

Reviving Kalang

In Kaliabor subdivision of Assam's Nagaon district, altogether 100 Puja committees are trying to infuse life into a dead river.

On Saptami, the Puja committees launched their campaign to revive the Kalang river in collaboration with the district administration.

The initiative aims to create awareness among the villagers for whom the river is part of life.

The 154-km Kalang originates in Kaliabor, flows through Nagaon town and merges with the Brahmaputra at Misamukh in Morigaon district.

It became a dead channel in 1973 after it was separated from the Brahmaputra by building the Hatimura dyke because of the flooding of Nagaon town.

After the damage to the dyke during the monsoon this year, it created panic among the Kaliabor residents as more than 80 revenue villages were submerged.

The local administration, in co-operation with Puja organisers, organised competitions, including naam prasang (prayer) of the Kalang. 'More than 300 groups in these 100 pandals participated in the naam prasang contest,' said Kaliabor sub-divisional official Pankaj Chakravarty.

Chakravarty said first three groups will be awarded by the administration.

'There will be another award for cleanliness in the Puja pandals,' he said.

Recently, Dispur announced that all measures would be taken to revive the course of the Kalang.

Additional reporting by Sarat Sarma in Nagaon