Navi Mumbai: Tradition brings residents together

The Seawoods Cultural Welfare Association will organise its fifth Durga puja this year with the aim to celebrate their culture as well provide entertainment to residents. Amal Kanti Chaudhurim, president of the association, along with other members, has been planning the event for over two months.

At a budget of Rs22 lakh, the mandap, a replica of the Gateway of India, will be created. A group of 12 artists from Kolkata have been working on it for over a month. The 12-foot idol of Goddess Durga will be decorated with daker saaj.

“The inauguration will be done by Hiran Chaterjee, a well-known actor in the Bengali film industry. We expect around 2,000 to 2,500 people to attend the celebrations.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for a bhog that will have traditional Bengali delicacies. Various food stalls selling spicy Bengali food will also be put up,” said Raja Mookherjee, secretary of the association.

The programmes are a healthy mix of culture and modernity as they have singers performing popular Bollywood numbers as well as association members staging dance drama and plays on Rabindranath Tagore’s songs.

Gorachand Chakraborty, a mandal member, has directed a play titled ‘Neem Gaach’ (Neem Tree) that is a popular story written by well-known Bengali playwright Balai Chand Mukhopadhyay. “It is about the struggles faced by women during 19th-century India when it was mostly a patriarchal society,” said Chakraborty.

Antara Mitra, the Indian Idol finalist will be humming Bollywood songs, and a few members will be putting up a dance drama on Mahishasuramardhini, to portray Goddess Durga’s triumph over the demon. A major attraction will be a Hindi play titled ‘Phandi’ written by Dr Shankar Shesh. It will be staged by Ulhas Tayade and troupe on navami. Tayade is a well-known actor who has acted in short films and plays.

He is known for being a part of Kavi, the short film that was also nominated for the Oscar in 2010.

There will also be a lecture delivered on importance of yoga for women which will be followed by a mallakhamb performance. “Our goal is not only to celebrate, but also to create awareness. Through this, we will create awareness about our traditional sports and fitness activities,” said Goutam Chakravorty, cultural secretary of the association.

Look forward to
At a budget of Rs22 lakh, the mandap, a replica of the Gateway of India, will be created. A group of 12 artists from Kolkata have been working on it for over a month.

The 12-foot idol of Goddess Durga will be decorated with daker saaj