The Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal seems to be putting back faith in where it belongs, that is, in the minds of the people, and that too after decades of non-believers showing ambiguous attitude to it in the state at this time of the year. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been on an inauguration spree of Durga Puja ceremonies, hopping from one big-ticket puja to another, while her ministers have taken lead in organising the events.
Take the case of the industries minister Partha Chatterjee's puja, the Naktala Udayan Sangha in South Kolkata. Drawing largely from the theme of how a caterpillar turns to a butterfly, the pandal displays 20 gigantic butterflies, each about 45 feet tall. The gate houses a huge caterpillar, but Goddess Durga and her children are seen emerging from yet another butterfly. 'We will spend about Rs 30 lakh this year. The pandal required a lot of engineering prowess, since the butterflies had to be fixed by cranes. The minister has been encouraging us at every turn,' Bappaditya Dasgupta, the general secretary of Naktala Udayan Sangha, told Millennium Post. Needless to say, this puja was inaugurated by the chief minister. Chatterjee is the chairman of this puja.
Cut to Ekdalia Evergreen, an all-time favourite among Bengalis. The theme this year is the famous Lakshminarayan temple of South India – which the panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee has chosen because it is a traditional one. 'The chandelier is stunning, and so is the idol, crafted by one of our best idol makers Sanatan Mitra Pal,' Mukherjee told Millennium Post. This chartbuster was inaugurated by the chief minister on Friday. Its budget is rumoured to have crossed Rs 50 lakh this year.
Want to see some sand and sea apart from the idols? Check out another crowd-puller this year organised by Suruchi Sangha Club, again in South Kolkata. The organiser is Aroop Biswas, the West Bengal housing minister. The theme this year is underwater pollution and the locale depicted is Goa. 'Last year too, our theme was hill pollution and the need to spread awareness about ecological balance. Biswas, the club president, takes an active interest in supervising the puja,' Sanjay Banerjee, the secretary of the Suruchi Sangha Club, said.
Another high profile puja, blessed by the state minister Firhad Hakim, is the Chetla Agrani Club. It has Tolly star Dev as its brand ambassador.
Take the case of the industries minister Partha Chatterjee's puja, the Naktala Udayan Sangha in South Kolkata. Drawing largely from the theme of how a caterpillar turns to a butterfly, the pandal displays 20 gigantic butterflies, each about 45 feet tall. The gate houses a huge caterpillar, but Goddess Durga and her children are seen emerging from yet another butterfly. 'We will spend about Rs 30 lakh this year. The pandal required a lot of engineering prowess, since the butterflies had to be fixed by cranes. The minister has been encouraging us at every turn,' Bappaditya Dasgupta, the general secretary of Naktala Udayan Sangha, told Millennium Post. Needless to say, this puja was inaugurated by the chief minister. Chatterjee is the chairman of this puja.
Cut to Ekdalia Evergreen, an all-time favourite among Bengalis. The theme this year is the famous Lakshminarayan temple of South India – which the panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee has chosen because it is a traditional one. 'The chandelier is stunning, and so is the idol, crafted by one of our best idol makers Sanatan Mitra Pal,' Mukherjee told Millennium Post. This chartbuster was inaugurated by the chief minister on Friday. Its budget is rumoured to have crossed Rs 50 lakh this year.
Want to see some sand and sea apart from the idols? Check out another crowd-puller this year organised by Suruchi Sangha Club, again in South Kolkata. The organiser is Aroop Biswas, the West Bengal housing minister. The theme this year is underwater pollution and the locale depicted is Goa. 'Last year too, our theme was hill pollution and the need to spread awareness about ecological balance. Biswas, the club president, takes an active interest in supervising the puja,' Sanjay Banerjee, the secretary of the Suruchi Sangha Club, said.
Another high profile puja, blessed by the state minister Firhad Hakim, is the Chetla Agrani Club. It has Tolly star Dev as its brand ambassador.