What: adda52 Online Poker presents The Telegraph Puja Premier League 2022, powered by Subhas Bose Institute of Hotel Management and Co-Powered by Baazar Kolkata
Where: Santoshpur Lakepally
The theme: This year Santoshpur Lakepally’s theme is The Living Image, which the club describes as, “The lifestyle of the contemporary society is fully driven by the mass media. Doordarshan came across as the first audio-visual mass media in the post-Independent era in India. The pandal takes the audience through a period of the 1970s to modern time and affect the lifestyle after audio-visual came into our life.” A large recreation of the Doordarshan symbol welcomes guests as they enter the pandal. There are also old TV sets scattered across the pandal area along with other relics of interest.
Puja and selfies go hand in hand. This lucky fan captures the moment with Koneenica.
Rooting for the club is: Actor Koneenica Banerjee who joined the club’s celebrations decked up in a traditional sari. “I last came to this club seven years ago, with The Telegraph. Puja means that Ma Durga will come, kids will be all dressed up, there will be dancing, singing, dramas being staged. Everyone will get together, will eat together and things will mend with even those with whom we had fought earlier. For two years, we had to live in fear. We had to hear the dhaak from a distance and go to pandals with apprehension. But now, the fear is less and so the fun definitely has to be more,” quipped the actress on stage.
(L-R): Sayan Chakraborty from Subhas Bose Institute of Hotel Management; Somnath Das, executive member; Debabrata Mukherjee, vice president of Santoshpur Lakepally; actress Koneenica Banerjee; and Pompa Banerjee, who was the emcee for the evening, engage in adda on stage.
Activities: The fun-filled evening began with a dhaak sequence played by a youngster from the locality. It was followed by several dance numbers on evergreen Puja tunes but with several contemporary takes. The adda session between the club members and Koneenica spelt fun and was full of remembrance and hope. Almost 20 kids from the NGO, Mrittika, were also present and put up an energetic dance performance. The evening ended with melodious singing performances including a rendition of Bajlo tomar alor benu and Tumi jaago.
Sangita Mukherjee and Sayan Charaborty (extreme right) from Subhas Bose Institute of Hotel Management with Debabrata Mukherjee of Santoshpur Lakepally.
Organiser speak: “It can never be that there is any programme at Santoshpur Lakepally and I am not present. I am looking forward to participating in the games at the adda52 online poker stall and I would urge everyone else to come and join in as well. The last two years during Covid had evidently been very bleak. But to again see the hustle and bustle, enjoyment, as far as eyes can go, it is an indescribable feeling. It is especially nice to see kids, who have had immense mental pressure during the two years where everything, from schools to exams, had been shifted to an online mode, out and about once more. It is better that we keep such bleak times behind us and look forward to this incredibly beautiful time that has once again been returned to us,” said Debabrata Mukherjee, vice-president, Santoshpur Lakepally.
This dancer duo performed to an engaging instrumental. The theme for the routine, which showed animals and their delight at rainfall, was the power of nature. Everything is surviving in place because of nature, its powers and its contributions.
Koneenica with members of Mrittika, an NGO. Santoshpur Lakepally presented new clothes to all the members of the NGO as well.
With a self-choreographed routine including locking and popping sequences, this graceful performer wowed the audience as well as Koneenica.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das