Off the block: A look back to the inaugurations of pujas across the townships
Telegraph | 18 October 2024
IB Block
Olympic medallist boxer Mary Kom couldn’t make it to the opening, actor Dev arrived hours late, and it started pouring minutes after a cultural group took to the stage to perform agomoni songs. But nothing could dampen the spirits of IB Block residents.
“Last year, our puja had a zamindar house as the pandal. That was the past, and this year is the future,” smiled Alolika Kundu, a Class V resident, excitedly referring to their theme of “Kolkata 2050”.
The girls were playing a guessing game about what life would be like in the future, as they waited in vain for the show to start.
“I hope we have bullet trains to drop us at our doorstep, or drones to take us to the puja pandal without getting wet in the rain,” said Avanti Bhattacharya of Class III. “I’m so proud of having such a grand puja in my block. All my friends know about it, and when they come, I’ll show them in, bypassing the line.”
Crowd control was indeed a concern. “Residents have long wanted a big-ticket puja, but we don’t want to compromise on convenience. So, we’ve kept separate entry gates for residents,” said Dr Joydev Kundu, a member of the organising committee.
MLA and minister Sujit Bose visited the pandal amidst the rain, while actor Dev and director Srijit Mukherji arrived close to 10 pm. “Thank you IB Block for such a warm reception. I extend to you my best wish for the Pujas,” said Dev.
There were also foreign nationals present, from countries such as France, Morocco, and the UK. “I’ve been participating in Durga Puja since 2017, in Hyderabad where I was posted before, but this is my first time in Calcutta, and of course, this is in a league of its own,” said Andrew Fleming, the British deputy high commissioner.
“This is a whole year’s effort paying off, and we’re already thinking of next year,” smiled councillor Ranjan Poddar, who was helming the puja committee.
Karunamoyee G Block
The puja was supposed to have been inaugurated by US consul general Kathy Giles-Diaz on October 7 but with less than an hour to go before the appointed time, the pandal and its adjoining area were plunged into darkness.
The cause was a short circuit in the junction box that affected all the lights except the ones behind the idols and on stage. The security team of the consulate was alerted and the consul general turned back midway. Another guest, the regional director of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations Minakshi Mishra, had already reached. “Wish you could see the lotus flowers lit up,” said an organiser as she walked up to the idols in the dim light.
The theme of the pandal was Padmalaye Parameshwari and the lotus stalks stood at a height of about six feet all along the way. The flowers were aglow again the next evening.
AH Block
AH Block began the 41st year of its puja by presenting lifetime achievement awards to five residents who have been involved with their puja since inception.
“Our first puja was held in 1983, jointly with BH, AJ, and BJ Blocks. It was held in an empty plot in our block, although everything all around back then was an extended empty plot,” recalled Atanu Banerjee, one of the awardees who, even at 70, remains active in the committee. “The following year, AH and BH performed puja together, and from then on, we began organising individual pujas.”
Lahari Chakraborty, 73, was unwell, but her son Soumyajit shared anecdotes he had heard from her. “The budget for the first year was Rs12,500, and the bhog consisted of only 500 grams of rice,” he said.
Ratna Kar Chatterjee, 75, mentioned that they would cook bhog themselves for the 35-odd families participating. “Community lunch was served only on Navami, in an under-construction building,” she added.
Alok Mondal and former president Shyamal Dutta were also honoured and the awards were handed over by deputy mayor Anita Mondal, who is also the local councilor and an AH Block resident.
“We could never have reached this stage without the contributions of these diligent individuals,” said Bhola Nath Dutta, the joint secretary of the puja committee.
“Our puja, like all Salt Lake pujas, started small and began exploring themes only after FD Block put up the Titanic pandal in 1998,” Banerjee said. “This growth in scale and budget has made the puja more beautiful and also allowed us to engage in more charitable activities. I am honoured to receive this award and will work with enthusiasm for as long as I can,” he promised.
Mahavir Vikas
This year the puja was inaugurated by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (Retd.) on October 6. The ex-chief of the Indian Air Force, who is a fighter pilot, drove himself to Mahavir Vikas. A welcome dance was put up by tots. This was followed by ribbon-cutting and the release of the puja souvenir of the HC Block housing complex. Raha spoke of the importance of finding joy in the togetherness that festivities bring in all times – good and bad.
Mahavir Vikas Puja Committee is a subset of the Army Welfare Co-operative Housing Society. As the puja approaches the completion of its fourth decade, the baton of organisation has now passed on to the next generation — wards of defence personnel who are civilians.
Newtown Sarbojanin
The puja at the City Square ground in front of Central Mall took an off-beat route for its inauguration in its third edition. Political leaders were shunned and the task of lighting the inaugural lamp was bestowed upon 108 women from different fields. This included names both well-known, like singer Pramita Mullick, filmmaker and actress Sudeshna Roy, dancer Sanchita Bhattacharya, elocutionist Sutapa Talukdar and idol-maker China Pal, and lesser known ones. Some of them were trail-blazers in male-dominated professions like pilot and bus driver.
The 108 women were handed an ekchala Durga idol in clay and a lotus each.