25 Palli

Ballygunge cultural association

Naktala Sammilani

66 palli

Pathuriaghata Pancher palli

Tangra Gholapara

FD Block

Nutan Dal

Kidderpore

Laxmi would be the happiest at the Nabarag pandal, where the theme is savings. Coins, old and new, comprise the decor, alongside clay pots for coins. A wheelchair stands ready to ferry the infirm. A part of the pavement has been cordoned off to create a toilet. Yuck!

Thanks to the rain scare, a couple of parks — Kabitirtha Park and Ramnihara Park — have had white sand strewn on the grass. The organisers — Kidderpore Milan Sangha and New Alipur Hindusthan Club, respectively — have promised to restore the green as soon as possible. At Milan Sangha, a water purifier has been installed to supply drinking water but the power supply is missing. The club has donated clothes to children on Mahalaya.

The red soil of Bankura is the inspiration at 74 Palli, which has a calendar full of social activities.

Neighbouring 25 Palli is a riot of light and colour, showcasing the pageantry of processions. Other than LED lamps, the club is harnessing solar power to light up its pandal. The club has insured both the pandal and the visitors against accidents. Messages against pollution, child labour and drugs dot the approach.

Rural Bengal has come alive at the Sahapur Colony (East) pandal. Despite the small budget of Rs 4 lakh, the club distributed blankets on Panchami and holds health camps.

Big-budget Suruchi Sangha at New Alipore has fused the theme of global warming with the visual splendour of Kashmir. The elderly and mothers with infants are allowed to bypass the long queue. Truckloads of logs have been used in the puja, defeating the theme. Firefighting arrangements are neat.

Chhou dancers from Bankura are performing at New Alipur Hindusthan Club. The club has taken charge of blood transfusion of two thalassaemic children. The pandal has as many as three exits for emergency evacuation.

Beleghata-Salt Lake

True Spirit stars inspire some pujas to work harder the next year. Beliaghata 33 No. Palli Bashi Brinda is one such. “Last year we lost points as we did not have a generator. So this year, we have installed one,” said an organiser.

The puja also did not have a men’s toilet last year. This year, they have two mobile chemical toilets for men and women behind the pandal. But most other pujas have neglected toilets. The toilet doors do not close properly at Salt Lake CJ Block Welfare Association and DL Block Residents’ Association pujas. CJ Block’s toilet is on the second floor, making it difficult for senior citizens to access it.

Safety of the visitors is most important for AG Block Durga Puja Committee, even if that means compromising on aesthetics. The pandal has a section where continents have been created with artificial roses and the structures are suspended from the ceiling. “Lighting needs to be minimal here for the effect we want but since visitors are tripping in the dark, we are installing more lights,” said an organiser. The water dispenser is also placed conveniently.

AB Block Abasik Sangha has made its pandal with jute treated with fire-proof chemicals and banned the use of plastic. BJ Block Saradotsav Committee has put up posters reminding people to avoid plastic.

At DL Block, visitors bringing sweets for the goddess in polythene bags are being asked to take away the bags.

Kasba-Tangra

Purbachal Sarbojanin Durgotsab’s puja is as safe as it is beautiful. The colourful pandal depicting fantasies of children has a well-equipped first-aid counter, a nurse and an ambulance. Emergency lamps will come on if there is a power cut. The generator will take over after that.

Fire safety is a priority at many a puja. While all pandals have extinguishers, Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha also has fire alarms and smoke detectors. Bosepukur Parijat Club Sarbojanin has connected hosepipes to the rooftop water tanks of three adjacent buildings to draw water in an emergency.

Sadly, the sand buckets in a couple of pandals are empty. At East Kolkata Township Welfare Association, even the water bucket has nearly dried up. When asked why, an organiser said the night guard probably washed his face with the water. One could hardly blame the night guard, as there are no signs pointing to the washroom, drinking water or first-aid counter.

Most of the pujas could be cleaner. There is no dustbin at Kasba Kheyali Sangha. When asked why, organisers pointed to the municipality’s garbage-collection cart.

At Hindustan Park Sarbojanin Durgotsab, the clay waste bins have been covered with bits of glass to go with the theme.

The theme at Ramlal Bazar Sarbojanin Durgotsav is “saving nature” and they have practised what they have preached. “We have used lead-free paint for the pandal and power-saving LED lamps,” said an organiser.

Organisers of Bosepukur Parijat Club Sarbojanin are strongly against noise pollution. The only music at their pandal are recorded bird and insect calls.

Ballygunge-Kalighat

Eco-friendliness is the buzzword for pujas here. At Kalighat Milan Sangha, where the theme is patashilpa, the crowds were being managed well. The prize money the puja has won in the previous years is being used to run a coaching centre for the children of sex workers, said an organiser.

Jute ropes have been used at 66 Palli Sarbojanin Durgotsab to depict the theme, “Ma’s homecoming”. True to the spirit of peace, the goddess is in white and carries no weapons. Toilets, fire-safety arrangements and first-aid kits are in place.

Green is the theme at 64 Pally Puja Parshad, while Chetla Agrani Club is promoting communal harmony. The only minus point at this puja is the use of plastic baskets to design demon faces to decorate the pandal.

At Ballygunge Purbapalli, decorative items from prize-winning puja pandals from years back are being displayed. But there is no provision for waste disposal.

True Spirit parameters were mostly ignored by Kalighat Sabuj Sangha and Chetla Sarbosadharoner Durgotsab.

Ganesh Talkies-Sovabazar

Nagarik Kalyan Committee on Prinsep Street and Jorasanko Sater Pally have come up with interesting themes but are average in following the norms.

Madhya Kolkata Sarbojanin in Surendra Lal Pyne Lane is an accident waiting to happen. The pandal has three demon heads spouting water into a pond. Electrical wires hang loose near the exit. The bridges over the pond are too narrow. There is no emergency exit either.

Almost hidden from the public eye is the tiny terracotta-themed pandal of Nimtola Sarbojanin, which is not only eco-friendly but also has firefighting measures in place. Another puja with emergency facilities in place is 20 Pally Sarbojanin Durgatsav.

Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsav, the grandest puja on the route, wows people with its theme of hell but does not have a crowd management plan in place. Beniatala Sarbojanin (Kansari Bari) is another pandal that could become claustrophobic on a crowded evening.

Machua Bazar Sarbojanin entertains with its Ali Baba theme but is not very clean. Basic amenities like toilets and drinking water are nowhere to be found.

Hatkhola Gossain Para Sarbojanin has portrayed women’s empowerment while fulfilling the True Spirit norms.

Thakurpukur-Behala Chowrasta

The fluttering wings of pigeons welcome judges to the Behala Nutan Dal puja. Many visitors mistook the dusty cardboard walls and broken ornamented railings as parts of actual buildings. The puja is a perfect example of creativity going hand-in-hand with hassle-free crowd management and other facilities.

Another flawless puja in terms of essential facilities is True Spirit veteran Barisha Youth Club. A public address system, modern firefighting facilities and a well-equipped medical unit characterise the True Spirit Model Puja 2010.

Acharya Prafulla Sangha in Behala is exemplary in providing essential facilities to visitors. A presentation on the harmful effects of narcotics and tobacco is being shown in the pandal, decorated with handcrafted Japanese fans. The active involvement of children is another noticeable feature of the puja.

Nandana Yuva Sangha has combined aesthetic appeal with social concern. The club runs an organisation called Arogyo, which provides community health services throughout the year.

Behala Debdaru Fatak’s pandal is attractive. The organisers have made adequate arrangements for crisis management. Security cameras have been installed to monitor the puja round the clock.

Bosepara Sarbojanin’s decor is not grand but it is socially committed, as is Behala Yubak Brinda with its round-the-year free health camps. But the puja with colourful pandal uses plastic pistons, thereby marring an otherwise clean sheet.

Shakuntala Park Evergreen, despite limited resources, has come up with a pandal that deals with a socially relevant issue. Barisha Club’s pandal is elaborate but not its emergency facilities.

Tollygunge-Golf Green

Most organisers on the route have tried their best to make their pujas safe, clean and fun for everyone.

Netaji Jatiya Sebadal, a very small puja at Ranikuthi, caught the judges’ eyes with sincere efforts to fight pollution. It has used earthen pots as waste bins, installed emergency lights and made arrangements for the physically challenged and elderly.

Moore Avenue is staging short puppet shows that spread awareness on polio, eye donation, dowry and child marriage but also on the forgotten community of puppeteers. Kids, especially, will enjoy this puja.

The lack of preparation at Golfgreen Saradotsav is disappointing. The toilets are locked, the first-aid counter is empty, and there is no wheelchair or ramp to help the elders and the challenged.

Golfgreen Sarbajanin is a study in contrast. From clean bathrooms to well-stocked medical kits, arrangements have been made and in time. The happy faces of the oldies inside the pandal brought out the true spirit of puja.

Naktala Udayan Sangha has made sure no fire prevention measure is ignored, which is essential since the pandal is made of various types of wood.

As the footfall increases to view the massive Durga, made of brass and mahogany, there is no problem with crowd management. Two wheelchairs have been kept in front of the pandal and an ambulance parked at the medical stall. Five separate toilets are constructed around the area with adequate water supply.

Bhatri Milan Sangha has spent extra for sound-proof generators but is disqualified after judges find the organisers are hooking electricity from nearby lamp posts.

Golpark-Jadavpur

Rajasthani folk music and Sanskrit chants create a beautiful ambience as judges make their way into the Tridhara Sammilani pandal.

The True Spirit veteran is no novice at combining exquisite artwork, this time in the form of a Rajasthani haveli, with essential facilities and social commitment. A well-equipped medical unit, a senior citizens’ lounge and helpful volunteers ensure a hassle-free festival experience.

Jodhpur Park Saradiya Utsab takes pandal-hoppers on a tour of Buddha’s life. The pandal is inspired by the Sanchi stupa. The organisers seem adept at crowd management and have put in place excellent firefighting measures and a 24-hour medical assistance booth.

Kalitala Sporting Club, another True Spirit veteran, has used gamchha, alta and sindoor to create an attractive mandap based on the theme Dashakarma. But it is their medical unit, comprising a doctor, an ambulance and essential medicines, that steal the show. The puja’s firefighting unit and round-the-clock monitoring through CCTV cameras are also impressive.

Samaj Sebi Sangha has created its pandal in the shape of a sindoor kouto (a vermillion box). Helmed by women, the puja attempts to celebrate womanhood through its theme.

Use of jute for pandal decoration and anti-plastic banners are part of the organiser’s attempt to be eco-friendly.

Ballygunge Cultural Association does not do well on the True Spirit parameters. An empty first-aid unit and shortage of waste bins and volunteers cost it points. On Bondel Road, 21 Pally Sarbojanin, which projected the mother-goddess as an assimilation of the divine energies of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswar, rates average on the True Spirit parameters. Dakshinpurba Dhakuria Sarbojanin and Shyama Pally Shyama Sangha, though creative in their pandal decoration, seem unprepared to deal with a crisis.

Sree Sree Saradiya Durgotsab (Abasorika) in Dhakuria is a must-see for little pandal-hoppers. The goddess is shown as a fairy godmother, holding roses instead of weapons, and the asura has his palms pressed together in obeisance.

Text by Sudeshna Banerjee, Brinda Sarkar, Sneha Dutta, Indrani Banerjee, Roshni Ali and Saikat Bose

Pictures by Amit Datta, Pradip Sanyal, Sanat Kumar Sinha, Bishwarup Dutta and Anindya Shankar Ray