11 days to Mahalaya, Durga Puja organizers put all hands on deck
Times of India | 22 September 2024
12 Kolkata: Durga Puja organisers in the city who had opted for discretion over all-out-activity in the aftermath of the RG Kar tragedy are racing against time to complete preparations by Mahalaya, buoyed by a surge in pre-puja shopping footfalland “renewed interest” of advertisers in the past few days.
A section of netizens had made attempts to link Durga Puja with the RG Kar tragedy and called for the boycott of the festival online, forcing organisers to stay low key with their promotions and put on hold several elaborate plans like releasing teasers and campaigns by brand ambassadors.However, with junior doctors calling off their cease-work and with the subsequent dip in the number of rallies, organisers are back in action.
While some are busy chalking out security and crowd management plans others are holding meetings with advertisers who have shown renewed interest. Some organisers are planning to increase the area under CCTV surveillance, others are holding meetings to decide over quantity and items in the prasad. And none of them is complaining.
At Mohammad Ali Park in central Kolkata, committee members along with the people engaged in constructing the pandal and other service providers are working for around 13 to 14 hours a day. “There is hardly any time left for the festival. We plan to inaugurate our puja on Chaturthi but want to finish all the work by Mahalaya. We are also holding meetings with advertisers who have shown renewed interest in the past few days,” said Ashok Ojha, joint secretary of the Mohammad Ali Park Durga Puja committee.
At Bhowanipore Durgotsab in Chakraberia, organisers have increased the number of CCTV cameras and volunteers. “Durga Puja is an emotion for the people of our state, and we feel the festival will not be massively impacted. We were prepared all along and are now racing against time to finish all preparations before the inaugural ceremony,” said secretary Subhankar Roy Choudhuri.
At Thakurpukur SB Park Sarbojanin, the idol is made at the venue itself. “We are constantly taking updates from the idol makers. We are also putting in place a crowd management plan so that nobody faces any inconvenience during the festival,” said Sanjay Majumdar, president of Thakurpukur SB Park Sarbojanin.
At Kashi Bose Lane Durga Puja Committee in north Kolkata, organizers faced problems due to traffic snarls in the past five weeks. “We could not bring in heavy goods as vehicles ferrying them were getting stranded. With the situation easing up, we are trying to complete some of the work that is left,” said Soumen Dutta, secretary of the puja committee.