Covered pandals with indoor themes minimize rain damage
Times of India | 29 September 2025Consequently, these pujas experienced minimal damage even after the city faced extreme weather conditions last Tuesday.
"Due to the early calendar schedule of 2025's Durga Puja and the advanced forecast of heavy rain, our committee members decided during last April's puja meeting not to opt for an open platform puja like in previous years," said Sayantan Bhattacharjee, assistant secretary of Behala Club. While most park pujas suffered severe damage due to unprecedented waterlogging and rain, Behala Club's puja, despite its entire interior decoration being made of clay, remained intact with hardly any damage to the exterior.
"Our foresight paid off, and we are thankful to Maa Durga," Bhattacharjee added. The club has a puja budget of Rs 65 lakh, decorated based on the central theme of Bengalis' nostalgic "adda".
Rahul Shaw, joint secretary of Haridevpur's Ajeya Sanhati, celebrating its 65th year, also feels proud of the wise decision to use a covered pandal, designed by artist Amar Sarkar. "Even with the rain forecast throughout the puja days and the formation of a new cyclone, we are not overly worried," added Shaw.
Similarly, another park puja by Prafullakanan (Poschim) Adhibasibrinda in Kestopur opened their pandal for public viewing on Thursday as per the pre-scheduled timeline.
Ranjit Chakraborty, secretary of the club, said, "We feel relieved as there was almost zero damage. We are thankful to our theme artist Krishanu Pal, who first proposed an indoor-themed pandal during our initial puja meetings." "Many of my theme artist friends are facing huge challenges to recover from last-minute losses, but I find myself in a safe zone," said Paul, the theme-maker of the puja, who used bamboo, bricks, and iron structures to shape the pandal with a canopy cover.
Theme artist Susanta Paul, who curated the Ballygunge Cultural Association, Kendua Shanti Sangha, and Dumdum's Bharat Chakra pujas, also planned the themes in such a way that the art installations were all internal, resulting in no significant damage. "Due to waterlogging issues, the approach roads to the pujas at Ballygunge and Dum Dum led to some initial hiccups as the base platform was damaged, but otherwise, everything was intact," said Paul, who recalled the increasing trend of open space pandals that started during the pandemic.
Artist Rintu Das feels fortunate due to the nature of the themes of Chakraberia Sarbojonin and Naktala Udayan Sangha, designed as covered pandals and left safe even after the deluge. "We managed to pump out the stagnant water inside the park, and as per schedule, the CM opened the puja on Wednesday," added Sourav Banerjee, secretary.
