Considered to be one of the oldest venues for the Durga Puja in the city, the members of Durga Bari Samiti are busy with preparations to make the celebrations even grander this year. The Samiti which organises the Durga Puja at Tejpal Hall will be completing 90 years of Durga Puja celebrations.
"We will be completing 100 years in a decade. To make the celebrations even more vibrant and regal, we are designing the venue with Sheesh Mahal theme this time," said Jayanta Kumar Basu, president of the Durga Bari Samiti.
Last year the Samiti had Mela as a theme. While ensuring awe-inspiring decoration, the committee assured of it being eco-friendly at the same time. Like every year, Goddess Durga's idol will be eco-friendly too. "There won't be any glass pieces on the idols. The glass used on the general decor is reusable so it won't be disposed off," said Mitali Poddar, convenor of Protima Committee which looks after this part of the festival.
The Goddess will be dressed in a Benarasi saree and adorned with gold jewellery. The idols of her children, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartik, Ganesh will be in similar attire. The decor of the stage will include small glass decorations and the hall will replicate a palace courtroom.
"We expect a footfall of over 2,500 every day. On the Ashtami and Navami we expect to cater over 10,000 people," said Basu. The darshan of the Goddess will be available from Sashti. "On Panchami night, we will have a prayer and then from Sashti, the pandal will be open for devotees. We have made arrangements so that more people can come for darshan," said Basu. The Samiti has organised bhog for devotees from Saptami till Navami. Bhog will comprise staples while vegetables and sweet delicacies will be different.
To ensure that devotees are engaged in cultural festivities, a series of programmes are organised. Among them will also be the mystical Baul musicians who will be performing on Navami day. Bauls Sangeet is a part of rural Bengali culture and consists of mixed elements from Tantra, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism.
