Come
October and the city dolls up for nine nights of revellery while the Bengali
community in Ahmedabad gears up for the much awaited Durga puja.And even as
craftsmen in South Kolkata are busy sculpting the tallest idol of Maa Durga in
the world, artisans brought in by the Bengal Cultural Association Ahmedabad,
are giving an eco-friendly twist to decorations at the oldest puja in town,
with decorations made with sholapit. An essential part of the Bengali culture,
sholapit is made of a plant that grows in marshland.
Elaborating
on the attempt to decorate the massive pandal at Ahmedabad Education Society
ground with this plant product, SN Chakraborty, president of Bengal Cultural
Association Ahmedabad, said, “From the time of its inception 78 years ago, this
will be the first time we will use shola to decorate the pandal. An essential
part of the community, shola is used to make products used in religious
ceremonies.“
The
use of shola, said Chak raborty, would also address the issue of environment
protection. “Products made from this plant easily dissolve in water. Sholapith
is the core of the plant,“ Chakraborty said “We've used sholapith to decorate
the backdrop of the idols but never to decorate the entire pandal,“ explained
Atanu Chakraborty, IAS officer and chairman of Bengal Cultural Association
Ahmedabad.To begin from October 18, Durga puja will be celebrated with fervour
till October 23.
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