Youngsters of BJ Block gifted their neighbours a grander Saraswati puja this year. The puja, organised by the youth forum Salt Lake Future, was shifted from a lane in the block and performed for the first time in BJ Park. 

“This is the eighth year of our puja. Since our membership has more than doubled over the past 12 months, we decided to do the puja on a more lavish scale. Our budget this year has trebled from Rs 20,000 last year,” said club president Debajyoti Ghosh Dastidar. That resulted in a 12-ft idol and a 35-ft pandal, up from the 10-ft structure last year. 

The number of visitors too escalated. “We were delighted to see visitors stream in as late as 11pm like during Durga puja.”

Debajyoti is the nephew of the block’s puja secretary Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar. “The youngsters handle duties like security and lunch packet distribution during Durga puja. We are happy to see them pull off a big Saraswati puja on their own. They are the ones who have to take over the Puja responsibilities after us,” Ghosh Dastidar said.
With the Higher Secondary exams starting on Monday, there was no scope to organise any cultural programmes. “A couple of our own members are sitting for the exams,” Debabrata said.

One of them, Santanu Giri, would not let the Board exams keep him away from the club’s grandest puja yet. “We have the Bengali papers on the first day so I could take it easy. I offered anjali as usual and helped out in the mornings when I could take a break from studies,” said the BK Block boy who decided not to place his text books at the goddess’ feet to allow him to continue studying through the puja days. 

But he has one regret. “I could not go for the immersion this year.” Santanu need not rue the missed chance. Elated with the public response, the club has decided to carry on with the grand scale in next year’s Saraswati puja as well.