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Bantra Sammelani
What: In keeping with the theme of the Navaratri festival in Gujarat, a colourful dandiya performance was staged every evening at the pandal of Bantra Sammelani. Every evening from 6pm to 11pm the dancers, dressed in traditional Gujarati dandiya costumes, performed to Gujarati folk numbers playing at the pandal. The dandiya dance was taking place inside the natmandir that was right opposite the main mandap where the Durga idol was placed. Visitors entering the pandal would have to walk around the central natmandir where the dancers were performing, on one side, and eight other smaller temples having idols of the eight forms of Durga on the other side. Though the dance continued till 11 at night, crowds thronged the pandal even later than that to catch a glimpse of the idol.
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Belgachhia Swastika Sangha
What: This Durga puja stepped into its 15th year. Since ‘nabanna’ is now the nomenclature of the state secretariat, this puja committee showed the festival of nabanna and the joy associated with it in the villages of Bengal. The entrance to the pandal was shaped like a granary. Inside was the thakurdalan, which was decorated using patachitras of Lakshmi, kulo (winnowing fan) and other bamboo items usually seen in the villages. The festivities around nabanna were shown through paintings on the walls of the pandal, depicting women carrying paddy sheaves on their heads, dancing and other merriment that villagers indulge in after harvesting new paddy grains.
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Bantra Nabin Sangha
What: The pandal was mainly decorated with wooden dolls from Burdwan, talpatar sepai and other dolls from different parts of West Bengal. However, the biggest draw was the puppet dance at the pandal in the evenings. A 15-member team from Gyanoda Opera from South 24-Parganas stayed at the pandal to show putul nach to visitors through the evening and late into the night. Six towers had been made in the pandal where the dolls would dance to the tune of musicians playing dhol, harmonium and flute. There were a variety of puppets including Lord Krishna, a king, a queen, a baul and others. Different puppets danced on each day at the pandal from the evening onwards.
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Ichhapur Shivaji Sangha
What: The Jarwa village was an attraction for pandal-hoppers, but the living models of the Jarwa tribals were the biggest draw of this puja. Four men dressed as Jarwa tribals walked around the pandal carrying bows and arrows, pretending to hunt wild animals and attacking visitors. The show started every evening from 7pm and continued till one in the morning. As the models interacted with the crowd, many people made the rounds of Ichhapur Shivaji Sangha many times. Howrah City Police had to deploy several policemen at this pandal to control crowds that had gathered inside the pandal to watch the show.
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Uttar Khurut Barowari and Kamardanga Sitalatala Barowari
What: The governor, Kesari Nath Tripathi visited both the clubs of Howrah to inaugurate their pandals.
He visited Uttar Khurut Barowari on the afternoon of Tritiya to inaugurate the underwater world theme pandal. He took a tour of the pandal and appreciated the effort. The club members donated a cheque towards the Governor’s Relief Fund. Tripathi visited Kamardanga Sitalatala Barowari on Chaturthi to inaugurate the colourful pandal designed with lights that reflected the colours of the rainbow. The club plans to donate Rs 10,000 towards the Governor’s Relief Fund.
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Sadananda Smriti Mandir
What: A green theme awaited visitors at this pandal in Balitikuri. A patch of green with trees, flowers, fruits and animals and birds all around conveyed the message on saving the environment from pollution and global warming. Durga was depicted as the trunk of a tree, protecting the environment and all living beings. The goddess was seen holding a sapling in her hands. A small water body around the tree trunk had white birds and lotus flowers in full bloom in it.The pandal was like an oasis of green amidst the concrete.
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Arupara Sarbojanin Durgotsav
What: Apart from the alternative energy theme, the club had put up a photography exhibition on Lakshmi Ratan Shukla on the ground next to the pandal. Different moods of the player, on and off the field, captured by lensman Rajkumar Mondal were displayed at the exhibition. There were a total of 130 photographs on display. Lakshmi Ratan and Manoj Tiwari along with the minister for agriculture marketing, Arup Roy and other dignitaries, were present at the inauguration of the pandal and the exhibition. Shukla donated Rs 10,000 towards the treatment of a three-and-half year old boy suffering from blood cancer. Although crowds spilled over at the Arupara pandal till late at night, everyone walked through the exhibition enclosure on their way out.
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Satashi Tarun Sangha
What: The club celebrated its 50th Durga puja this year by paying homage to 10 women freedom fighters of India. The pandal was decorated using photographs of the 10 women freedom fighters from different states of India along with short sketches of their lives. This made the pandal interesting and informative for many people, specially for children. Artist Rajib Deyashi had arranged large photographs of Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali, Kanaklata Baruah and others around the pandal with their biographies next to the pictures. In the evening, the interior of the pandal was illuminated using diyas. Children were seen going through the texts at the pandal with interest.
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Uttar Nibra Sasthitala Barowari
What: This simple barowari puja that is held at Sasthitala in Nibra has stepped into its 99th year. The puja was initially held in a mandap made of taal leaves and straw. Later, the permanent concrete mandap was made. It is popular among local residents, who are interested in a traditional puja. Huge crowds throng the pandal during the pushpanjali and sandhi puja. The puja was started by some local residents, however, later a barowari committee was formed to organise the puja.
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Balitikuri Swajib Sangha
What: A village of Bengal, based on Jibanananda Das’s poem, Rupasi Bangla was recreated at this pandal. Forests, terracotta temples, a bamboo bridge over a pond full of saluk and lotus flowers, a dry river, hills with lots of trees and paddy fields were some of the things that were shown at the pandal. The Durga temple was an old terracotta temple which had a natmandir illuminated by chandeliers. Three other smaller terracotta temples flanked the natmandir. The idol was traditional.
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Salap Sarbasree Sangha
What: There is no artist or thememaker at this pandal. It is decorated by the little boys of the locality, the oldest one being about 14. They did it under the guidance of Subhas Naskar and Subrata Naskar, senior members of the club. This 66-year-old puja is simple yet one of the most popular pujas of Salap. This year the pandal was decorated using colourful paper flowers and trees. A little stream ran through a forest where a deer drank water and fairies were seated on swings inside the woods or on top of trees. The clay models too were made by a local boy. The pandal won Domjur Sammanay Samity’s Best Pandal and Best Pratima awards this year as well as ABP Ananda’s Jelar Sera award.
