Springtime in Calcutta is full of colourful festivities. One such festival that people look forward to during the spring months is Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami. Last month, Ladies Study Group hosted their event ‘Beautiful Goddess’ to celebrate spring and the spring festival Basant Panchami. Hosted at Daga Nikunj, over 500 members participated in the event and let their creativity flow.
Sucheta Merh, president of Ladies Study Group, with her passion for creativity and art, initiated this celebration. The members of the group were invited to decorate the Saraswati idols with recyclable and reusable materials. It was hosted with the aim to raise awareness and encourage the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable materials. The idols were made by Jhantu Das in Kalighat. Moderated by Oindrilla Dutt, the event saw the participants divided into teams of six members each with a team leader. The event was judged by eminent personalities of the art and culture field like Moon Moon Sen, Shipra Bhattacharya, Kavita Poddar and Sunetra Lahiri.
After the participants showed their creative potential through the art of decoration, all decorative materials were sorted and collected by people for recycling and reuse. Team Alaap led by Renu Poddar won the competition, followed by team Kinnari Veena taking home the first runner-up prize and team Swara the second runner-up. Team Mridangam and Raagmalika won special mentions.
Snapshots:
The ladies decorating the Goddess
Team Swara was the second runner-up
Team Kinnari Veena was the first runner-up
Team Mridangam won special mention for their creativity
Judges Moon Moon Sen, Shipra Bhattacharya, Kavita Poddar and Sunetra Lahiri at the event
Team Raagmalika was chosen under the special mention category
“Beautiful goddess was a memberparticipatory event, distinct because of its eco-friendly nature. We at LSG celebrated Basant with recyclable items creatively used by our members on the Goddess of art, music and knowledge, Devi Saraswati,” said Sucheta Merh, president, Ladies Study Group.
Pictures: LSG