(From top) Representatives of Behala Nutan Dal collect the True to Tradition prize, organisers of Mitali are all smiles after receiving True Spirit Model Puja award from the police commissioner and children show off Manicktalla Chaltabagan Lohapatti’s Puja That Cares award

“Durga puja is over. So what beat should you play tonight?”

The special guest at the ceremony stopped at the entrance to speak to perhaps the humblest participants. It was decided that the dhak beat should rhyme with “Ashchey bochhor abar hobe”.

The two dhakis from Balagarh, Hooghly, had no clue who they were speaking to. But on the stage they — Radhu Das, Sunil Das and Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti — were sharing, the only thing that mattered was a commitment to a safer, happier and more meaningful Puja.

The venue, GD Birla Sabhagar, on Friday evening was full of puja organisers who had shown this commitment and were to be saluted by a guiding hand called CESC The Telegraph True Spirit Puja.

In its seventh edition, the award, presented in association with Rupa, had drawn 267 pujas from across the city and Howrah, with budgets big and small. They all had worked to regulate crowd and traffic movement, keep their pandals fire-proof, clean and environment-friendly and support the less fortunate during Puja and round the year. The evening belonged to those who had raised the bar this year.

The proceedings started on a light note. Little Sayan Nayek and Taniya Roy, TV comedians, had come from Burdwan to perform on the big platform. “I wish Burdwan also had True Spirit Puja. That would have put a curb on the bursting of crackers,” Sayan said.

Lopamudra Mitra, who presented a variety of songs, was all for the True Spirit award. “Carrot always works better than the stick,” she reasoned, referring to the enforcement of festive rules.

Enter, the law-keeper. Police commissioner Chakrabarti, who had flagged off the retinue of judges — British deputy high commissioner Sanjay Wadvani, actor Barun Chanda, fashion designer Agnimitra Paul, actress Paoli Dam (who could not make it to the awards ceremony) and Dilip Samajpati of CESC — on Ashtami, was back to see how the pujas had fared on the True Spirit scales. “The only puja I have visited was Mudiali Club from where, in association with The Bengal, Calcutta police took senior citizens pandal-hopping. I applaud your excellent selection,” he said on seeing Mudiali Club in the top six.

(From top) Representatives of Tridhara Sammilani and 41 Pally Club receive the awards for Five Star pujas and singer Lopamudra Mitra on song at the ceremony on Friday evening. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

The True Spirit stage belonged to the young and old. While the city’s oldest baroari puja, Bhowanipur Sanatan Dharmatsahini Sabha, was represented by its 84-year-old president Anil Mukherjee to receive the Two Star plaque, the biggest cheers were reserved for the teenaged organisers of the Interact Club of Chowringhee High School. “This is the only Puja award we aspire for,” smiled Tazamul Sarfaraz, a member of the Three Star-winning puja.

All along, 10-year-old Sourav Adhikary was beaming. His father works in the lohapatty, his mother stays up nights as an ayah. A while ago, he was one of the four kids to have walked up on stage and collected the Puja That Cares award from Anandi Ghose of The Bengal and Ramesh Agarwal, director of Rupa, on behalf of Manicktalla Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durgapuja Committee.

The award, to be spent on the education of a bunch of children, means Sourav, Sony, Shampa and Nitin will be able to continue their education. “Ma Durga has listened to our prayers.”

Their smiles defined the true spirit of Puja 2009.