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| Pictures of the idols at 25 Palli Sarbojanin (top) and 74 Palli (center), both in Kidderpore, and the pandal of Ajeya Sanghati (above), in Haridevpur, by Pabitra Das. |
Car 2 (North Calcutta)
It was all about fellow-feeling, community care and social service. It might sound cliched, but at the 10 pujas visited by the team of judges in car number two, there was much to smile about. Despite the downpour ruining the eco-friendly pandals ? straw mats, jute, rope, mati and more ? spirits were rarely dampened.
Lack of space was often the main constraint in the narrow bylanes of north Calcutta. The funds weren?t huge either. In fact, simplicity was the keyword. But the homely atmosphere of a baroari puja was more appealing than the opulent extravagance of some bigger and more well-known pujas. Tradition was the trend, with the aim of promoting village arts and crafts that are dying due to no patronage.
The para pujas of Sinthee Agragami Sangha and Sinthee Youth Athletic Club were undoubtedly the best in terms of safety and environment-friendly measures taken by the clubs. From more than adequate precautions to fight fires, toilets, emergency numbers displayed prominently, areas for the handicapped, garbage bins at regular intervals to effective crowd management. The small and homely pujas, with artistic pandals and idols in traditional style, left no stone unturned, budget and space permitting.
The Belgachia Olaichand Pallybasibrinda puja was small and almost unnoticed, situated under a bridge and tucked away in a dead-end lane. But everything was done by the para people themselves, including the idol. The paintings adorning the walls were by club vice-president and artist P. Chakraborty. ?I took some kids in the locality under my wing and they helped,? he smiled.
The facilities at Ahiritola Sarbojanin and Beniatola Sarbojanin were just fine. At Sovabazar Burtolla Sarbojanin, Sishu Sangha Sarodotsav, Charer Palli Durgotsav, Sikdar Bagan Sadharan Durgotsav and Tala Baroari Durgotsav, the honest efforts are worth mentioning. All in all, the true spirit of the Pujas had pervaded these pandals.
Car 4 (South Calcutta)
It is not always the puja with the best d?cor or the most elaborate pandal that displays the true spirit of this festive season. Take Milan Sangha, the first stop on the Kalighat route, for instance. The club, established in 1944, is into sports in a big way, with a football team in the IFA first division league. Its pandal, erected on the playground, is a simple affair. But the organisers have taken care to cover the surrounding area with sand to avoid slush.
Fire extinguishers and first-aid kits were also in place. The club has used the prize money from last year?s event to buy a microscope and start a pathological unit for the poor. They also hope to resurrect a defunct library. ?Our Puja spirit is not limited to the four or five days of festivity, it lasts all year,? said a spokesman.
Yuba Maitri?s pandal only serves to reduce the already-constrained area of the street-corner venue. The pagoda-like structure housing the Nepali Durga was attractive enough, but the steps leading up to it seemed like an unnecessary inconvenience. They have won quite a few awards in the past, but this time they fall short of the True Spirit requirements. They do, however, give financial assistance to a few students.
Sanghasree is celebrating its diamond jubilee. With a straight one-way road leading up to the pandal, crowd management was easy for them and for first-aid they had help from the Rotary Club. But they deserve credit for the pandal, created with pleated tarpaulin. At one time, the only way to decorate pandals seemed these varied pleats stitched on coloured cloth. Now, ousted by a flood of innovations, the traditional craftsmen live in poverty. The club hopes its focus will give them a new impetus.
The 66 Palli presentation on the theme of Shaktisthal has a wonderful recreation of an Indian rock temple on a mountain. It also provides good facilities for visitors in terms of first-aid, crowd management, etc. Fire-resistant solution covers the surface of the immense wood and plaster of Paris ?rock? structure so that real diyas can burn in niches in the wall.
Car 5 (South Calcutta)
From model electricity arrangements in one to simply pathetic in another, from an established puja effectively handling more than 20,000 visitors in an evening to an aspiring one struggling to manage even 5,000 a night, from a mandap made of phitkiri dazzling at night to a murti built on the concept of slokas, the route represented a random cross-section of pujas in mood and character.
If Mudiali Club, off Southern Avenue, was the highlight of the trip, its neighbour Shib Mandir Sarbojanin ? a True Spirit winner last year, which has used the money to give computer education to underprivileged kids ? wasn?t far behind.
The 70-year-old Mudiali puja scores for its immaculate fire-fighting arrangement with three closed-circuit cameras monitoring the premises. The Shib Mandir puja has a smoke sensor inside the pandal. Both have banned littering of plastic bags, have wheel chairs for the physically-handicapped and elaborate first-aid arrangements.
?If Mudiali stands out marginally in community involvement, the electrical arrangement at Shib Mandir should be credited as a model one,? observed G. Dasgupta of CESC, one of the judges.
The United Club puja, near the Tollygunge Karunamoyee crossing, stands out in its sincere effort to follow the safety and security guidelines of the True Spirit event while trying to attract crowds. It even has a sound-limiter in place, a rarity despite it being mandatory.
Chakraberia Sarbojanin is still learning to deal with the pressure of being a popular puja, with its officials admitting ?crowd mismanagement even on Panchami evening?, though it has performed creditably in other aspects. Ambience was the strong point.
The others on the list ? Lake Youth Corner, Kalighat Haldarpara Subhas Sangha and Forward Club ? have a bit of a way to go yet, to keep up with the high standards set by the rest. While at Lake Youth Corner there is an absence of a proper crowd management system, the other two fall short on most counts.
But the True Spirit has clearly made its presence felt in the majority of pandals.
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Car 7 (South Calcutta)
From depiction of rural folk art to old zamindar houses, rural Bengal was easily the dominant theme of the seven pujas on the list.
Celebrating its 55th year, Ballygunge Cultural Association stands out for its vibrancy of colours visible in the form of wooden dolls on the pandal, used to craft a temple in the likeness of one in rural Bengal.
The atmosphere in the area speaks volumes of the level of involvement that everyone in the community has. A doctor and a nurse for first-aid purposes and a wheel chair for the physically-handicapped are also at hand.
What makes the Adi Ballygunge puja on Palm Avenue special apart from extensive wood carvings on the pandal is the first-aid arrangement (there is even a stretcher handy) and the amount of social work that the committee is involved in ? blood donation, free health check-up camps, helping needy schoolchildren, donating a part of the Puja funds to children?s homes...
The Saradia Sammilani Puja of 65 years, off Gariahat Road, may be small in size, but nothing beats the homely atmosphere and arrangements. Hosepipes to counter fire hazards, specially manufactured vacuum cleaners to clear the roads and prevent dust from flying around ? the preparations are comprehensive.
With more women in the puja committee, for the three festive days the kitchens of the homes surrounding this puja are kept shut as the neighbours get together for lunch and dinner.
Says Suparna Basu, secretary of the committee: ?This is one time of the year when all of us leave our household chores behind and come together. It is a great feeling. We also have arrangements to serve bhog to every visitor and it is nice to cater to people who come from far off.?
The 44-year-old Babu Bagan Club puja, in Dhakuria, has an innovative theme that combines the subaltern art and rituals of Bengal. The beauty of the harvest season is brought out with the help of dolls made in rural Bengal.
Several gram Bangla events like live dance performances by dancers to the sound of drum beats render a touch of realism. Although spread over a huge area with a large number of stalls, the traffic and crowd management and safety arrangements are carefully thought out.
