Two years after it began to include women priests in their Durga Puja, Kalighat-based 66 Palli brought as many as 16 women priests to perform their khunti puja on July 16.
Priest Nandini Bhowmik and her team, would not only perform the khunti puja but like the past two years, would conduct the five-day Durga Puja as well.
According to 66 Palli secretary Pradyumna Mukherjee, after starting the tradition in 2021, the club had decided to conduct their Durga Puja with women priests only. “What started with one Puja, this year, Nandinidi and her team are performing three Durga Pujas in Kolkata. That’s a huge achievement for us,” Mukherjee added. Besides, this year’s puja idol has been designed by another woman sculptor Parbati Das Boul.
Nandini Bhowmik performs 'khunti' puja at the 66 Palli pandal on July 16 66 Palli
While interacting with My Kolkata, Nandini Bhowmik narrated how after 2021, a number of clubs and family pujas have been requesting her to perform their pujas. “But we were just four people and it was not possible for us to perform all those pujas. On the other hand, Shubhamastu, an organisation of lady priests, founded by Nandini Bhowmik, started a revolution and we felt bad that we couldn’t perform all those Pujas,” said Bhowmik. So this year, the number of members in Shubhamastu has increased to 16 from four.
