Have done our bit, now up to heavens: Puja clubs
Times of India | 28 September 2025They are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping the rain is not as intense as it was on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
Both Durga Puja organisers and pandal hoppers said they accepted the intermittent showers as the new normal this festive season and were equipped with umbrellas and raincoats to overcome the hurdles and enjoy the festivities.
Animesh Chattopadyay of Ballygunge Durga Puja Samiti, which is held at Maddox Square in south Kolkata, kept an eye on the sky despite the intermittent showers throughout the day not hampering the festive spirit.
"The entire ground and the pandal were completely flooded on Tuesday afternoon. But for a small portion of the ground that is still marshy, the rest was restored. It was heartening to see that the spirit of the puja at Maddox Square is back and revellers were at the pandal till 5 am on Saturday.
They have accepted that it will rain this puja. Our only prayer to the goddess is that the showers should not mar the festival," he said.
At Brindaban Matri Mandir on Sukea Street in North Kolkata, notorious for flooding during heavy rain, Sibendu Mitra expressed concerns about the twin low-pressure forecast during puja. "Our pandal suffered major damage on Tuesday and we could not resume work till the water receded completely on Wednesday evening. Getting the pandal back to a presentable level was extremely challenging. We can just hope further rains will not play havoc," he said.
Soumen Dutta of Kashi Bose Lane near Hedua, which has an open-air pandal, said there is bound to be some tension over the weather. However, the large turnout reflects the indomitable spirit of Kolkatans to enjoy Durga Puja. "The enthusiasm of people is contagious. We have only a small prayer on our lips. And that is for fair weather. We are taking it one day at a time," he said.
Many organisers felt encouraged seeing so many people step out for pandal-hopping on Saturday.
"Rain or sunshine, people seem to have made up their minds. As long as the enthusiasm is there, we are not worried," said Partho Ghosh of Sib Mandir Puja Committee and founder member of the Forum for Durgotsav.
"Seeing so many people step out on Panchami is a good sign. We have taken all possible measures to safeguard the pandal and the visitors in case it rains," said Sanjay Majumdar, secretary of Thakurpukur SB Park Sarbojanin.
At Adibashi Brinda on Kanai Dhar Lane, near Amherst Street, which was flooded for 24 hours after Tuesday's rain, pandal-hoppers started trooping in from Saturday evening. "Everything got delayed after the rain and the flooding, but we deployed more manpower and worked round the clock. We have done our bit and now hope people will appreciate our work," said Somnath Biswas, general secretary of the committee.
