AJ Block 

The theme for the AJ Block Durga puja this year will be peace. The same was announced at their khuti puja last Sunday. 

Attending the puja were singer Riddhi Bandyopadhyay and former civic chairperson Krishna Chakraborty. “I wish everyone a happy puja in advance,” said Bandyopadhyay, before singing a few lines. The audience meanwhile sat patiently holding umbrellas above their heads as it had begun to rain. Those who didn’t have umbrellas ran to stand under trees. 

Artiste Joy Dutta piqued everyone’s interest by sharing the theme of this year’s pandal. “The life of the Buddha will be depicted through applique and kantha work and the mainstay will be a 10-ft high statue of the Buddha’s face,” said Dutta. “It will convey the message of peace with a lot of colours.”

Then it was over to conchshells, bells and cries of “Bolo Durga mai ki jai!” as the khuti was dug into the ground by guests and every resident who could lay a hand on it. 

“From today, the puja feel gets officially ushered in,” smiled resident Ratna Roy, who said she and her neighbours would now have to start rehearsing for a chorus of folk songs to present at the puja function. 

“AJ Block is a close-knit family that loves to celebrate festivals together. So rain or shine hardly matters to us,” smiled block president Monojit Guha Roy. 

AC Block 

In the 38th edition of its pujas this year, AC Block will build a miniature of the Jhargram palace, it was announced at the khuti puja recently. “We had read about it in a magazine and thought it would be ideal for the pandal,” said block secretary Debashis Pal. Their idol will be crafted by Sanatan Pal of Kumortuli.

Residents did not wait till the pujas to start with their cultural programmes. On the day of khuti puja itself there was music, dance and even an audio drama. Arup Ghosh and Manjusree Chaudhury, the cultural secretaries of the puja committee, confessed to have rehearsed very little for the programme. “Everyone stays busy with work, studies and chores. So residents will be performing individually today except for the audio drama, Narak Bash, written by Tagore,” said Chaudhury adding that a newly constructed room on the second floor of their community centre would also be inaugurated that day. 

Priest Tapas Acharya said that a Narayan puja was being performed to seek blessings to perform Durga puja properly. 

Perhaps the most excited face in the crowd was Devrupa Pal, a four-year-old who was jumping around and enjoying herself. “We perform every year at the puja function. We generally dance. Others choreograph for us,” smiled her cousin Bansari Pal, a year older to her.

Former councillor Anindya Chatterjee and MLA Sujit Bose were also present on the occasion.

Shreya Chatterjee 

BE (West)

Durga puja preparations began at BE (West) on August 15 with the khuti puja. 

The puja was inaugurated by Bengali film actor Hiran Chatterjee, named the brand ambassador of the puja, theatre artiste Debshankar Haldar and MLA Sujit Bose.

“I have never been a part of khuti puja before this. Nor do I know anything about it as it is not practised in Belgachhia, where I live. But today’s event is an opportunity to get to learn about the puja as well as mingle with residents of Salt Lake,” said Haldar.

President of the block’s Durga puja committee, Alak De, said that their puja was usually a homely affair. “But with Hiran and Debshankar among us today, the occasion has become very special,” he added.

This would be the 32nd edition of the block’s puja and the budget would be Rs 9 lakh. “The puja rehearsals have started. There will be plays, dances and songs by residents including myself,” smiled cultural convener Baishali Dutta. “Swami Balabhadranandaji, assistant general secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, will inaugurate our puja on October 17.”

The khuti itself was planted in the soil by the guests and the residents of the block.

Sanhita Koley

BJ Block 

The theme of Durga puja at BJ Block this year will be Gujarat. This was announced at the block’s khunti puja on July 19.  

“This year we have decided on Gujarati heritage for our theme in association with the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. But I cannot disclose the details just yet,” said Uma Shankar Ghosh Dastidar, the organising president of the puja. 

On the day of the khuti puja, there was a ritual before the ritual. Members of BJ Block Sarodotsab Committee and a few residents visited Dakshineshwar Kali temple at 5am to seek blessings of the goddess before the proceedings started.

Attending the puja were former chairpersons of Bidhannagar Municipality Krishna Chakraborty and Biswajiban Majumdar and former councillor Tulsi Sinha Roy, who is also a block resident. 

“Though khuti puja is not specified in the Vedas, it is performed to ensure an auspicious beginning for the forthcoming Durga puja preparations. It is an invocation of the goddess,” said Subroto Ganguli, the priest. “Earlier, the puja was not performed in such a ceremonious manner. The pandal decorators would themselves deck a pole with garlands and plant it at a spot around which the main pandal would be built. But for the past three years, the puja committee is celebrating it in a big way.”

The residents were very excited and some said they had started Puja shopping. “Though we keep buying clothes round the year, puja shopping is always special. This khuti puja is just the beginning of the months of preparations and celebrations,” said Gayatri Biswas, a resident. 

Debadrita Mitra

CJ Block

Residents of CJ Block performed khuti puja on July 26. This year, the puja will turn 30 and the organisers have decided to keep it traditional.

“We are not going for any theme this year. We will celebrate Durga puja in a traditional manner,” said Krishna Chakraborty, former councillor of the now defunct Ward 3 and a member of the block’s puja committee.
Starting from planting the khuti in the ground to the commencement of the rituals, residents of all ages participated in every stage of the ritual with great gusto.

BC Block 

Khuti puja was performed on Independence Day at BC Block after children hoisted the national flag. And many stayed back and braved the drizzle to fix the decorated pole ceremonially into the ground.

The chief guest for the afternoon was MLA Sujit Bose. 

This year, the block’s pandal will be open on three sides so more people can sit together. 

“A lot of people could come today as it was a national holiday,” said secretary of BC Block Residents’ Association Soumen Dey. President of the block’s puja committee, Dilip Saha, added that the event was a success despite the rains. “I guess the beat of the dhak increased the excitement,” he said.

Aniket Sil

BRS-3 housing complex, Ultadanga

This Ultadanga complex held its khuti puja on the day of Rathyatra. 

The ambience at the event, organised by the club Sangrami, resembled that of Durga puja itself, what with women coming in new clothes and men dancing to beats of the dhak. Singers Pilu Bhattacharyya and Sayantan Goswami of Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa fame entertained the crowd by singing a few lines.

The theme for the puja is under wraps but concept designer Prasanta Pal gave a hint. “Mayer agomon jethay pabitro hobe mon — the look will be on these lines. We shall create something to take the visitor out of the concrete jungle we live in,” said Pal.

The priest Samir Banerjee worshiped the khuti and then club members along with the children fixed it in the pit. “The countdown to the festival begins from today,” said Riya Shome, a club member. Another member Tushar Saha mentioned that they would organise cultural programmes during the puja too. 

Aniket Sil 

AE Block Samaj Kalyan Sangha

A host of celebrities turned up at AE Block Samaj Kalyan Sangha’s khuti puja — actresses June and Nusrat Jahan, singer Shantanu Roy Chowdhury, footballer Dipendu Biswas; sculptors Niranjan Pradhan and Bimal Kundu besides sub-divisional officer Pawan Kadyan, Rajarhat MP Sabyasachi Dutta and cosmologist and block resident Debi Prasad Duari. 

Drum band Motilal Dhaaki.com gave a short performance after which Roy Chowdhury sang Jago tumi jaago and Aguner poroshmoni. “Get up and sing, everyone,” he urged. Everyone headed to fix the khuti into the pit afterwards. 

“Khuti puja is like sending an invitation card to Ma Durga and now the countdown to Puja begins,” said June. But the pujas are not a time to relax for Biswas. “Pujas are peak season for us. The I-League and ISL matches would be on at the time and we’d either be playing or practising,” said Biswas, a former national player who is now with Tollygunge Agragami.

This being the puja’s 39th edition, the organisers also decided to plant 39 trees around the park next to AE Market. “Five to six trees have died mysteriously in our park and so we thought of replacing them,” said Tapas Sengupta, secretary of Samaj Kalyan Sangha, that is organising the puja. “And we have taken care to plant not saplings but trees grown to around 10 ft height. That way they have a much higher chance of survival.”

Aniket Sil 

AC, AD, AA Block, New Town

New Town’s AC, AD and AA Block Puja Committee held a khuti puja ahead of the fourth edition of their Durga puja on August 13. 

The three blocks are spread behind DLF building, Nazrul Tirtha and the Coal India Complex, and the khuti puja was held in the Green Verge of AC Block.  

Around 80 residents had showed up, led by president and secretary of the puja committee Meer Khushmat and Mihir Kumar Chakraborty respectively. 

For the last three years, residents have been celebrating Durga puja here with much gusto, relishing community lunch on Saptami, Ashtami and Navami and taking part in a variety of games in the evening such as candle-lighting and conchshell -blowing. 

GD Block 

GD Block has found inspiration for their puja pandal in the artwork behind an old notebook, the organisers revealed at their khuti puja recently. 

“This year we are trying to emulate a Ukrainian fortress that was the cover art of a copy one of us had seen. It was suggested that we make it the model for our pandal. The idol, however, will be traditional, adorned in daker saj,” said Kamal Bhattacharya, the secretary of the block committee. This year, the puja will step into its 31st year.
Attending the event were veteran footballer P.K. Banerjee and Mohun Bagan captain Shilton Paul. After the ceremony, in his trademark style, Banerjee got his boys together in a huddle and gave them tips on winning. “Each day when you set out for practice, think of yourself as a winner. Work hard and give everything you have when you are out on the field. Your morale will stay up and you will realise your full potential,” Banerjee told the players around him.

AL Block

AL Block held its first-ever khuti puja this year and announced its theme to be “Sabekianay Banglar Ma”. 
Residents had gathered at AL Park on August 23 for the rituals and organisers said that puja this year would have a rural touch. As for the khuti puja, president of the puja committee Ashis Kumar Hazra said residents had been asking for one since all other blocks had been observing the ritual. 

Puja secretary Subrata Dutta said rehearsals for the puja’s cultural programmes should start from the coming week. “We shall have plays by children and adults as well as musical programmes,” he smiled. 

Aniket Sil 

HB Block

Cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla and former Mohun Bagan captain Subrata Bhattacharya attended HB Block’s khuti puja, held recently. 

“We all wait for Durga puja with bated breath all year. Khuti puja announces the beginning and takes the excitement level a notch higher,” Shukla said. MLA Sujit Bose dropped in later at HB Park.

This year, the puja will turn 31 and the pandal will be modelled on a palace. “Our pandal will resemble a  palace of Bengal. The idol will be built on traditional lines,” said vice-president of the HB Block committee, Abhijeet Chandra.

Balaka Abasan, New Town

At Balaka Abasan’s khuti puja in New Town, organisers announced that their theme for the puja will be saving the environment. And this they plan to do by creating the pandal in the shape of a giant turtle.  

“The turtle has an extremely long life, spanning several hundred years and it witnesses the destruction of the planet over its lifetime. Its own habitat is being polluted now. We want to raise awareness among pandal-hoppers so they actively work to protect the environment,” said Rakesh Gupta, vice-chairman of the puja committee. 
The tagline for their puja is “Dhir gatitey prachin jeeb, Durga mayer santo Shiv”.

Balaka’s puja is among the oldest in New Town and it will be celebrating its 13th edition this time. “With time, we have gained the goodwill of pandal-hoppers and last year, when we spread the message of saving forests through the theme of Jangal Mahal, our puja drew over a lakh visitors each day,” says secretary Prasanna Kumar Roy. This year the puja’s budget is Rs 20 lakh. 

Former badminton player Dipankar Bhattacharjee, footballer Swarup Das and singer Riddhi Bandopadhyay also dropped by.