Balurghat, Oct. 6: A 105-year-old Durga Puja that is organised by a family of zamindars has an unusual custom: they fire a gun in the air at the juncture of Ashtami and Navami.

The firing in air started in the 1950s to ward off robbers and gradually became a tradition.

The Puja itself was started in 1911.

"The puja was first started with the patronage of our grandfather and zamindar late Prasanna Lal Chowdhury in 1911. He had six sons whose families have licensed guns. During Durga Puja every year, shots are fired from the guns. The puja is organised on rotation by the family members the of six sons. We are celebrating 105th Puja this year," Kanak Kanti Chowdhury, the grandson of Prasanna Lal Chowdhury, said.

"Even in the age of big-budget theme pujas in South Dinajpur, our Puja still remains a crowd-puller with believers and revellers drawn from every nook and corner of South Dinajpur," said the 85-year old, whose family holds the Puja this year.

Asked about the tradition of firing, Prasanna Lal's another grandson, Mrityunjay Chowdhury, who stays at the ancestral house at Baidul, said: "I learnt from my uncle, late Kshitish Chandra Chowdhury, that the custom of firing in air started in the early 1950s. Baidul was dominated by robbers and goons then. They frequently targeted rich zamindars and landlords. We were their soft target due to lack of proper security from the end of police and local administration. So, rich people were forced to keep licensed firearms to take on the goons and robbers. Our forefathers had started the tradition of gun firing in Sandhipujo to send a stern message that they could protect themselves from the anti-social elements."

Mrityunjay said the person who opened fire had to take blessings from Maa Durga so that he could protect his family from unwanted happenings throughout the year.

"My father, late Baidyanath Chowdhury, who was the youngest son of my grandfather, told me that the six brothers had purchased one Belgium-made double bore rifle and four one-shutter Indian-made rifles for self-defence," said Mrityunjay.

Baidul is about 10km from here and located on the banks of the Atreyee river.

Amit Kumar Chowdhury, another grandson of Prasanna Lal, said this year's puja would cost around Rs 1.5 lakh. "Every year, we offer prasad to around 1,000 people who visit the pandal during the four-day festival. We don't collect subscriptions and the expenses are met from own pockets," he said.

Asked about the Baidul Zamindar Barir puja, Dilip Mondal, a local resident, said: "We get transported to a world different from the materialistic one we are now living in. Its a world of simplicity and devotion. All members of the zamindar family carry the idol on their shoulders during immersion and it draws huge crowds every year."