A pandal made of bay leaves (tej pata) drew the crowds to Karunamoyee housing estate this Jagaddhatri puja. The pandal had come up in the park, next to the market which houses the Bidhannagar east police station.

“This was the seventh year of our puja and we have had themes like patachitra and cotton wool before. But this year theme-maker Uttam Sarkar suggested bay leaves and we found it novel,” said Ranjan Podder, secretary of Karunamoyee (ED Block) Abasik Brinda Jagaddhatri Puja Committee. 

The 65-ft high and 80-ft wide pandal was shaped like a Shiva temple and its outer walls were covered with leaves. “The artiste had been working on it at his Santipur studio since Ganesh puja. It was assembled in our park later and two truckloads of bay leaves were brought down from Burrabazar to be pasted on it,” said Podder. 

The theme proved especially popular among the ladies. “So many bay leaves! We should pluck some off and take them home,” a lady was overheard telling her friend at the pandal.  

But Rama Moulik, a resident of E Block, differed on taking a closer look. “There seems to be some shiny substance sticking to it,” she said.

The leaves had indeed been given a coat of lacquer for a wood-like shine. But the pandal still retained an aroma of the spice. 

The budget for the puja was Rs 18 lakh. The idol had been sculpted by Mohanbanshi Rudra Pal and lighting was from Chandernagore but it was the unusual ingredient that made it stand out. “We don’t have too many Jagaddhatri pujas in Salt Lake and this is the best-looking of the lot,” said Partho Chakraborty from EE Block.