What: Seagram’s Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water presents The Telegraph Puja Premier League 2023 powered by IIHM
Where: Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra
(l-r) Devlina receives a gift hamper from Manisha Hela of IIHM, Devlina clicks a selfie for her personal Puja album
The theme: Stepping into its 23rd year, Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra’s theme this year is ‘Bhranti’, which translates to the English word ‘fallacy’. With this, the organisers highlight an alternative discourse that establishes the concept of human power and compares it with the divine power of Durga who is the ultimate authority. Around 100 artisans from various districts of rural Bengal, mostly Medinipur, took three months to make this renowned north Calcutta puja pandal stand in its present form. While puppetry strings have been used in the main idol, suspended from the top, symbolically, the entrance has been given the shape of the king’s crown from Ray’s classic film Hirak Rajar Deshe. The exit features an inverted basket, signifying the contradiction that ‘bhranti’ or fallacy holds in our lives. Live puppetry is a significant attraction of the pandal which resonates well with the theme, besides showcasing traditional putul nach (puppet dance) which is intrinsic to the folk culture of Bengal. Made with mainly dried straws, the materials used in making the pandal are mostly biodegradable.
Organiser speak: “With our theme ‘bhranti’ we have tried to convey the power dynamics between humans and the ultimate power of the divine. If we reflect upon history, we will find that the entire social system was based upon those in power and the powerless. Needless to say, most of the time the latter remained subservient to the former. In the pursuit of power and exercising the same, the people in power perceived themselves as the supreme being, transcending the idea of the actual supreme being that is God. They began to think that God is our puppet; he/she is in our hands. But actually, it is not. The divinity believes in protecting and not dominating. So, we have tried to imbibe this concept through live puppetry. Keeping the idol off the ground was also a challenge and we are glad we pulled it off so well,” said Goutam Biswas, president of Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra Club Puja committee.
Rooting for the club is: Devlina Kumar. The actress enjoyed visiting the pandal and later joined those on stage as they danced to a classic festive number. She said, “I love everything that is associated with Durga Puja. Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra has been participating in The Telegraph PPL for quite some time now and it’s a very happy feeling when you present these clubs on a bigger level. It also makes me feel as though I belong here. I thoroughly loved being a part of their celebration today. In fact, I wait for this kind of opportunity before the Pujas every year. I am blessed to receive the love and blessings of so many people. I also love performing and I happily go up on stage. It makes me happy to see the people here so happy. What I liked about their concept is they have done it in the form of puppetry. It’s basically done by hand and celebrates human skill and talent. However, it is actually the Almighty in whose hands our destiny lies. Thus, I was absolutely in awe of it.”
Activities: The Mahalaya evening was a grand celebration of several cultural events that were lined up at the venue.
The cultural programme started with a song and a dance number based on the Durga Vandana, an ode to welcome the goddess gracefully. Devlina surprised the audience as she stepped on stage to join the dancers, matching steps in tune with the song. This was followed by a five-minute dance drama named Abahon, highlighting the plight of women and their fight for their own space.