Girish Mukherjee family takes the green route for immersion of Durga idol

KOLKATA: Breaking away from the ancient tradition for safeguarding the environment, the Girish Mukherjee family of Bhowanipore in South Kolkata made a special metal tank in the premises of the 'Thakur Dalan' of Girish Bhawan for immersion of Goddess Durga and her entourage.

"We have been thinking of an alternative way of environmental-friendly immersion to contribute towards reducing pollution. Several ideas were deliberated. At last, it has been decided that we will immerse the idols through water jet melting using hose pipes in our courtyard,"Mrinalini Mukherjee, a family member said.

The family, whose Puja stepped in its 198th year, used to immerse the idols in Adi Ganga and carry the single wooden (bamboo) structure back home. However, this time an aluminum structure was made and a silver colored anodised locking system was devised for easy fixing and removal of the idols from one metal frame to another.

It had revolving wheels underneath so that the family members could themselves move the idols easily.

The 4 feet high and 6 feet wide water tub had been created by the family members themselves. It was covered with double layered tarpaulin.

The idols were carried inside the tub by the family members themselves and two high pressure water jet sprayers were used for gradual melting of the idols. The entire process took about two hours to get completed.

"The idea was to stay with the vision for Ganga Rejuvenation Project ensuring 'Aviral Dhara' (continuous flow), 'Nirmal Dhara' (unpolluted flow), and contributing positively to this great initiative," environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, who has been an acquaintance to the family for many years, said.

The remnants have been preserved in sacks and will be reused next year for making the idols. The background structure will be reused every year. Harchandra Mukherjee, a trader of molasses, began the Puja in 1832. His son Girish Mukherjee, a close associate of Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, who changed his profession from a teacher at Sanskrit College to a lawyer on the advice of Vidyasagar, built the current 'Thakur Dalan' (the courtyard temple).

Vidyasagar's will carries the signature of Girish Mukherjee. Significantly, during the Puja, this 'Thakur Dalan' also witnessed the acting debut of Uttam Kumar, Bengal's biggest matinee-idol. Uttam Kumar's first stage show was hosted on the 'Thakur Dalan' in 1975.