Presidency Correctional Home Puja chooses ‘fitness’ & ‘women literacy’ as themes

Kolkata: Presidency Central Correctional Home (PCCH) has chosen to depict ‘physical exercise for sound health’ and ‘women literacy’ as themes for its Puja that is being organized by the inmates.

Several inmates of the correctional home have been busy for the past two months churning out the theme under the guidance of the technical training team. Since 2021 the Puja at PCCH deviated from its trend of having pandals built with cloth and tarpaulin and depicting a specific theme through its puja. The idol is being procured from an artisan who lives near the correctional home.

“The special attraction of this year’s Puja will be a mobile exhibition hall made by the technical training team of the correctional home within our premises through discarded materials such as water drum, iron cot etc. The exhibition hall will be decorated in accordance with the spirit of different festivals in the state,” a senior official of PCCH said.

“As the inmates are not allowed to leave the premises, we ensure a special food menu for them during Puja. On the four days of the Puja there will be chicken and mutton (one day each) and fish on the other two days. In fact, there will be special platters on all days till Lakshmi Puja,” the official added.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose during his imprisonment at PCCH had convinced the then British government to introduce special food for the inmates during the Durga Puja. The tradition has been continuing since then and more or less the same menu is being maintained. Different cultural programmes by the inmates will also be held after the puja. Presently there are 2,300 inmates at PCCH.