Happy Nook, ECTP, Phase IV: The puja in its 13th year has residents of 176 flats celebrating. Agomoni songs, skits and a performance of Dakghar by children are on the agenda. “The puja is completely organised by women,” says Kushal Roy, a puja committee member.

 

Samadrita Cooperative, ECTP, Phase III: Residents of 128 flats are celebrating the 15-year-old puja by organising cultural programmes and setting up food stalls. “On Panchami, we had Anandamela, a food festival, which is very popular,” says co-organiser Suvankar Bhattacharyya.

 

Green Wood Nook, EM Bypass: Residents of 250 flats, organising a puja for the fourth year, are taking part in skits like Chamatkar. The pandal resembles a natmandir. “Every year we give clothes to underprivileged children,” says organising committee member Chandan Chakraborty.

 

 

Manjulika Cluster B, EKT, Kasba: Residents of 224 flats have lined up cultural performances for their 11th puja together. “We try to provide a platform for our in-house talent through these programmes,” says Kalyan Surya Gupta, the secretary of the organising committee.

 

Manjulika Cluster A, ECTP, Phase IV: The puja festivities for the residents of 320 flats turn 12 this year. Rehearsals for the cultural programmes start a month in advance. “What sets apart our puja is that 40 per cent of our residents are non-Bengalis,” says Lokesh Kalra, a member of the puja panel.

 

Rail Vihar Housing Complex, ECTP: Residents of 382 flats are celebrating their 13th puja. Shundir Math was enacted on Saptami evening, followed by various cultural programmes. “A few boys in our complex formed a band and performed,” says Maniklal Ghosh, a puja committee member.

 

Avishikta 1, Purbachal Kalitala Road: This is the fourth puja here for 354 flats. Food stalls on Panchami evening and a whole lot of The Telegraph Hand In Hand events make for a very entertaining line-up. “We treat it just like our barir puja,” says co-organiser Ranabir Dasgupta.

 

Jalvayu Residency, Motilal Gupta Lane: Members of 128 flats have come together for their fourth puja together. Agomoni songs on Sashthi and a skit titled Boudir Biye on Saptami are the highlights. “Everybody participates in this homely puja,” says co-organiser R.P. Mishra.

 

Swaranika Cooperative, Shakuntala Park: Celebrating their 14-year-old puja are residents of 430 flats. Skits, singing and dancing mark this year’s festivities. “Since it is a big complex, all of us have a lot of fun. Nobody gets bored,” says Debasish Dasgupta, the cultural secretary of the complex.

 

Puspashree Cooperative Housing Society, Diamond Harbour Road: The puja in its 24th year is being celebrated with enthusiasm by the residents of 192 flats. The biggest surprise? The roster of events. “The women always keep it a secret,” says Pradip Ghosh, the secretary of the complex.

 

Soura Niloy, Kailash Ghosh Road: Residents of 130 flats have been celebrating for four years. Recitation and mime are on the anvil this year. “Since we do not get to meet each other through the year, this is one occasion where everyone is present,” says Saktipada Kapat, secretary, welfare association.

 

Poushalee Abasan, Raja Rammohan Roy Road: The puja completes a decade this year. Residents of 144 flats take part in The Telegraph Hand In Hand events. On Dashami, there will be singing and dancing by residents. “We will surely have a thrilling time,” says Subir Saha, a co-organiser.

 

James Residency, Motilal Gupta Road: The puja will complete its fourth year with residents of 88 flats joining in. Community meals along with a variety of shows are the highlights. “Every year, we publish our puja souvenir,” says co-organiser Gautam Kumar Ganguly.

 

Genexx Valley, Diamond Harbour Road: The Genexx Valley puja, inaugurated by Bickram Ghosh and Jaya Seal Ghosh, debuts this year. The idol is an ekchala one. Dandiya on Navami is one of the attractions. “This is the first year, so it is very special,” says co-organiser Nirmalya Sarkar.

 

 

Mangalam Park, Biren Roy Road: Residents of 298 flats are celebrating for the ninth year. “This time, women have formed a choir of sorts to perform Aamra Shantir Pokkhe — a geetialekhho on Ashtami evening,” says Sujata Ganguly, the president of the complex.

 

Diamond Enclave, Behala: This year the puja for 90 flats turns three. “We believe in keeping celebrations simple but involve everybody,” says Kamal Dhariwal, an organiser.Besides The Telegraph Hand In Hand activities, children performed a play.

 

 

ODRC Rental, Diamond Harbour Road: This is a vintage puja, at 42 years. Residents of 216 flats celebrate with The Telegraph Hand In Hand activities. “Ours is a simple puja. The idol is ekchala in daaker saaj,” says Animesh Chakraborty, a member of the puja committee.

 

CMC Co-operative Housing Society, Kalipada Mukherjee Road: The puja with 120 flats turns 10 this year. Song and dance, spot quiz, Antakshari and dhunuchi naach form the event line-up. “All of us go for the visarjan,” says Pranab Basu, cultural secretary of the complex

 

Bangur Complex, New Alipore: For residents of 250 flats, dandiya on Navami is a highlight. “The complex is like mini-India. But everyone takes interest in the pujas. The Telegraph Hand In Hand has taken us a step forward,” says Raja Guha, the secretary of the puja committee

 

Rupashree Housing Complex, Newtown: The 152 flats are celebrating for the third year, with The Telegraph Hand in Hand activities. “We will provide aid to a home for orphaned and mentally-challenged children,” said Panchali Sarkar, the president of the puja committee.

 

 

Utsa The Condoville (Efficiency and Comfort), Newtown: The residents of 192 flats celebrate for the fourth year with The Telegraph Hand In Hand events, juggling and magic shows. “The idol has been sculpted in Kumartuli,” says Avik Gupta, the secretary of the puja committee..

 

Greenwood Park Extension, Newtown: The residents of 220 flats celebrate for the second time with cultural activities, including dandiya on Navami. “The cylindrical towers of our complex were covered in rice lights and we hosted a dance on national integration,” says Sagar Sen of the puja committee.

 

Utsa The Condoville (Luxury), Newtown: Residents of 208 flats, in the fourth year of their puja, are taking part in cultural programmes, besides The Telegraph Hand In Hand events. “Our pratima is a traditional one,” says Debi Prasad Pati, the secretary of the puja committee.

 

Shree Housing Complex, Newtown: The 250 flats are celebrating the puja with magic, drama and orchestra. “Every year on Dashami all the members of our complex venture out for pandal-hopping,” says Tarun Kumar Mukherjee, the president of the puja committee.

 

Millennium Tower, Newtown: Residents of 148 flats started the third year of the puja with everyone getting the idol from Kumartuli. “The children performed a dance drama on Abol Tabol,” says S.K. Dutta, the puja committee secretary.

 

Club Town Enclave, Chinar Park: Tradition rules for residents of 165 flats with a packed roster, the conch-blowing competition for women and eating rosogollas for men being the highlights. “The lights are from Chandernagore,” says Suman Dasgupta, a member of the cultural committee.

 

Alaktika Housing Complex, Newtown: The first puja for the residents of 390 flats started with a bang on Sashthi, with a fireworks display. “The highlight is alpana — our paths have been decked up with alpana and the walls with madur from Midnapore and patchitra,” says a co-organiser.

 

Greenwood Park, Newtown: The puja for 384 flats turns four this year. The special attraction is involving people from nearby villages. “We had an awareness programme on HIV/AIDS and also on how to respond to natural disasters,” says Samir Kumar Mitra, a co-organiser.

 

Green Tower (Block C), Golf Green: Residents of 93 flats are celebrating puja for the 22nd year. Apart from The Telegraph Hand In Hand events, a special attraction was a drama staged by residents over 50 years of age. “The visarjan is like a family outing,” says Ajoy Bose of the puja committee.

 

Green Tower (Block A & B), Golf Green: “The theme of our puja is united colours of devotion and our cultural programmes are aligned with that. We hosted dance performances from Bihu to Kathak and also dandiya,” says Bijon Bagchi, the cultural secretary at the complex.

 

Duke Residency, Tollygunge: The residents of 116 flats have a packed roster for their third puja — drama, recitation, song and dance, garba.... “The ladies learnt garba from a professional dancer to put up a show on Ashtami,” says Partha Sarkar, secretary, puja committee.

 

Prantik Peerless Housing Complex, Garia: Residents of 400 flats are holding the puja for the 15th year. Besides the Telegraph Hand In Hand events, the highlight is a magic show. “We go together for the visarjan on Dashami,” says N.J. Arjun, member, puja committee.

 

333 Pally Unnayan Samiti, Jessore Road: The puja for 120 flats turns 15 in true traditional style. “The idol comes from Kumartuli and puja ends with visarjan on Dashami when all the flat residents go to the Bagbazar ghat,” says Amitabha Roy, the president of the puja committee.

 

Ananda Vihar, Nagerbazar: The puja that turns four this year has a daaker saaj pratima. “The special attraction is a play from Panchatantra being performed by children below eight years,” says Biswajit Das, the cultural secretary of the puja committee.

 

Shrachi Garden, Nagerbazar: Residents of 190 flats are celebrating their 12th puja with community lunch and cultural events. The women also staged a drama, enacting men’s roles. “For us it is a time for harmony when everyone comes together,” says P.K. Sen, a member of the puja committee.

 

Om Tower, BT Road: The three-year-old puja for residents of 101 flats believes in following the rites and rituals religiously and eating all meals together. “Dandiya is one of the special attractions here,” says Manas Sengupta, the president of the welfare association.

 

Indralok Estate I, Chiriamore: A daaker saaj pratima is the star of the puja in its 35th year. Residents of 168 flats come together for Telegraph Hand In Hand. “Every year we have a drama where we have three generations participating on one stage,” says Indrajit Chakraborty, the cultural secretary.

 

Lake View Cooperative, Howrah: The three-year-old puja for 300 flats kicked off with a food festival on Sashthi, followed by a drama on Saptami and cultural programmes on Ashtami. “We get a traditional Durga pratima from Kumartuli,” says Arindam Tiwary, a member of the puja committee.

 

Dreamland Cooperative, Howrah: The puja for 192 flats turns four with The Telegraph Hand In Hand events. Celebration also means a common kitchen. “A science forum will speak against superstitions and demonstrate experiments,” says Biswajit Chatterjee, a member of the puja committee.

 

S.D. Tower (Siddeshwari Garden), Kestopur: The puja turns seven, with residents of 260 flats joining in The Telegraph Hand in Hand events like conch-blowing and candle-lighting. “Juggling was a hit on Ashtami and a magician performed on Saptami,” says co-organiser Subrata Das.

 

Kobasia Vin, Garia: Residents of 90 flats celebrate for the first time with The Telegraph Hand In Hand events and a mime show on Navami. “Our pratima is a traditional one and we had Sandhipuja on Ashtami,” explains Sibaprasad Palchaudhuri, the puja coordinator.

 

Darpan, Purna Das Road: The 80 flats are celebrating their seventh puja with The Telegraph Hand In Hand events like Antakshari and dhunuchi naach. “We believe in celebrating together,” says Raj Kumar Sarkar, a co-organiser.

Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya, Subhas Dutta, Pranab Kumar Das and Gopal Senapati