Kumartuli Park puja looks for 100 % crowd attendance after 25/24 teasers

Kolkata: People residing in North Kolkata must have come across puja teasers of 25 out of 24 doing rounds and have been wondering what it is all about. The answer to their curiosity is the Durga Puja of Kumartuli Park a few metres away from the artisans hub at Kumartuli. The puja committee is stepping into its 25th year this puja and as the Bengali year is 1424, the teaser for the puja has been framed in such a way.

Kumartuli Park puja that was one of torch bearers of theme pujas in North Kolkata is shifting to traditional Sabekiana this year.

"Our pandal will be akin to the model of a shrine that is coming up at Vrindavan in 2019. The idols that are being made by noted idol maker Gorachand Pal will bring out the best craftsmanship skill with which we associate the artisan's hub," Dipen Saha, joint secretary of the club said.

The interiors of the pandal will be like a Rajasthani palace. There will be a model of a temple of Radhakrishna, a Shivalinga and a Durga Mandir inside the pandal which will be a treat to the pandal hoppers.

The front portion of the pandal will be given the form of a decorated garden. "We will also make two artificial fountains in the garden. We will be delivering the social message of tree plantation, preservation of green, and conservation of waterbody through the garden," Anupam Das who is also the joint secretary of the

club said.

Expressing his confidence that Kumartuli Park will be able to attract crowd even though swimming against the tide of theme pujas after so many years, Saha said,. " We are located so close to Kumartuli. We had felt that the predominance of theme pujas have somewhat pushed the inherent skills of idol making of Kumartuli in the back seat. We want to show the artisans' craftsmanship to the best. We are also putting tiles on footpath mixed with silver sand and putting bricks on either side on the way to the pandal so that there is no mud or waterlogging on the way."