Durga puja in city gets khub bhalo

The celebrations get bigger forBengalis with two more puja pandals being set up at Parimal Garden andBhuyangdev, taking the number from nine to 11

Pujo gets bigger this year in Ahmedabad, thanks to the growing population of Bengalis in the city. To provide Bengalis who have migrated to Ahmedabad a culturally-rich experience, two new Durga pujas have been organised this time ­ one at Parimal Garden and the other in Bhuyangdev.

“While we had nine Durga pujas till last year, this year the city will witness 11 pujas. We have more number of Bengalis settled in different parts of the city and that is the reason the number of pujas has gone up,“ said Kanak Das Adhikari of Bengal Cultural Association, which will set up its pandal near Doordarshan The clay idols will be prepared by artists from different parts of West Bengal. The association has also invited popular Bengali singer Haimanti Shukla on navami to entertain music lovers in the city.

Indian Oil Housing Complex at Parimal Garden is organising a Durga puja for the first time in the city. Asis Bera, member of the puja association of the complex, said that despite the huge population of Bengalis in the city, Durga puja pandals are very limited. “Recently, four new Bengali families shifted to our society. So, we felt the need to start our own Durga puja celebration as we have large number of Bengalis in the area. It will help them enjoy the flavour of puja like it is celebrated in Kolkata,“ Bera added.

Another new puja pandal is being set up in Bhuyangdev at Sajan Party Plot. Karnabati Bongiyo Parishad, which is a 15-year old Bengali association, has decided to come up with its own puja in the city.

“To facilitate greater interaction among the Bengali community, we decided to come up with another pandal. This way, `pandal-hopping' as the youngsters call it, becomes fun,“ said Sanat Chatterjee, president of the parishad.

While the community is gearing up to celebrate pujo, almost all Durga puja associations are organising a donation drive to help the flood-hit people of Kashmir.

TRIBUTE TO BENGALI CULTURE

This year, Greater Ahmedabad Bengal Association is trying to familiarise Bengalis born and brought up in the city with the rich cultural heritage of Bengal. Profiles of famous Bengali personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram Bose, Suchitra Sen will be profiled in their pandal.