Pujas count losses after downpour
The Statesman | 24 September 2025The organisers felt it would be difficult for them to repair the affected portions of the pandal and the image within the next couple of days. The Maha Sasthi is on Sunday.
Mausam Mukherjee, secretary Chaltabagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee said: “We never dreamt that a disaster of this magnitude will affect us. All the Pujas in north Kolkata have been badly hit. The idol has been damaged and we are trying to get it repaired. If there is no further rain we can somehow manage the damage. The platform where the idol of Ma Durga is installed is under water. I was shattered when the rain hit the city last night. I have somehow recovered and we are all trying hard to put everything in order.”
Mr Mukherjee urged the agencies that give prizes to the Puja committees to defer their programme. “We plan for the entire year about the theme and pandal. If the representatives of the agencies visit our pandal tomorrow then we will not be able to show them our best. We will take at least two days to clear the area. It is good that water has started receding.”
The theme of Chaltabagan Sarbojanin is the evolution and development of Bengali language. It is one of the most popular in the city and bags several prizes every year. It takes part in the carnival organized by the state government every year.
Subhrokanti Lodh of Purba Kalikata Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee said: “Though the pandal is not being affected, we could not do anything today. There is waterlogging everywhere and if it rains in the next couple of days then Durga Puja will be spoilt. For us the pandal is like our children. We plan and then talk to the artists and the decorators. We do not know how we are going to present our Puja this year. We are helpless against nature.”
The theme of the Puja here is Adi Ganga Parapar. It is based on the history and settlement that had existed along Adi Ganga.
Kunal Ghosh, Trinamul Congress spokesperson, who is associated with Rammohan Sammilani, said: “We are all trying hard to come out of the disaster. The decoration is made of Sonar Bori, a kind of food ingredient which is very popular in Midnapore.” There is massive waterlogging on the street where the pandal has been put up.
In Bhowanipur, old Pujas like Abasar, Golmath, Bakulbagan and Muktadal have been badly hit. The worst affected is the lighting arrangement. Miss Mamata Banerjee is likely to inaugurate it on Wednesday.
