The world’s wildest corner — replete with enigmatic rainforests, exhilarating game drives and indigenous tribes — will be within your free reach next month.
Jairam Youth Sporting Club in Adityapur has chosen South Africa as its Durga Puja theme and artisans from Bengal are burning midnight oil to bridge the nearly 9,000km gap.
The club has hired Parvati Decorators of East Midnapore to replicate the breathtaking wilderness that is Africa. As many as 50 workers are building a 60-feet-tall cane and bamboo temple, which will rise out of a real forest with reproduction of a diverse ecosystem.
“We have procured bamboos from Tripura. The pandal is in the shape of a temple, but made of cane, hay, paper pulp and bamboo, of course. The goddess will have an aboriginal (indigenous) look, without the traditional finery and make-up,” said Ashok Kumar Dey, proprietor of Parvati Decorators.
Puja organisers began working on their theme three months ago, when workers planted an entire forest of touch-me-nots. Scientifically known as Mimosa pudica, this sensitive plant is perennially flowering.
The compound leaves of Mimosa fold inward and droop when touched and reopen a few minutes later. The reflex may have evolved as a defence mechanism against predators, or alternatively, to shade the plant in order to reduce water loss.
Forest cover: The cane and bamboo pandal hemmed in by a jungle at Jairam Youth Sporting Club in Adityapur inspired by Africa. Picture by Bhola Prasad
The touch-me-not plants are found across continents, particularly in South America, which is home to the Amazon rainforest.
“The plants are already 10ft tall. They will grow taller in another fortnight and recreate the ambience of an African forest. Plaster of Paris and paper pulp are being used to make models of elephants, rhinoceros, giraffe and other wild animals. A giant demon mask will be installed at the entrance of the pandal too to give visitors the feel of Africa,” said Dey.
Work on the mega pandal project in Adityapur began on July 14, the day of Rath Yatra, and is expected to be completed by October 12. The budget, excluding illumination, is over Rs 25 lakh, making it the most expensive pandal in the industrial city so far.
Durga Puja at Jairam Youth Sporting Club was started by former Ichagarh MLA Arvind Singh in the mid-70s. It has always been famous for its extravagant display of lights, courtesy artists from Chandernagore, Bengal. The illumination team reached Adityapur earlier this month and is expected to reveal the lighting theme soon.
Arun Singh, a senior member of the club, said they wanted to celebrate an eco-friendly Durga Puja this year. “Our pandal is a cut above the rest. It is in the middle of a real forest, where people can be one with nature. We are expecting heavy footfall,” he added.
In 2017, this club Puja had pulled a crowd of over 300,000.
