What: Seagram’s Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water presents The Telegraph Puja Premier League 2023 powered by IIHM
Where: 66 Pally, Kalighat
The theme: 66 Pally is celebrating its 73rd year of Durgotsav this year and they started building their pandal in August. Their theme is ‘Durgar Mati, Matir Durga’. The pandal pays tribute to the various sources, or rather the people from whom the soil for making idols is obtained. Nine such characters have been chosen and their lives are portrayed on the inner walls of the pandal. A huge upturned Durga bust is the chief attraction of the pandal, which is placed upon a huge stove as if to dry. The aesthetically designed and constructed pandal and its awe-inspiring Durga idol are the labours of love of Dipanjan Dey, Parbati Das Baul and Debayan Pramanik.
Front-office faculty Moumita Sarkar and centre-in-charge Payal Pal of IIHM felicitated Arunima with special festive gift hampers
Organiser speak: Pradyumna Mukherjee, general secretary, 66 Pally Club, said, “Our concept this time is ‘Durgar Mati, Matir Durga’. Dipanjan Dey is our chief artisan. We all know that soil is the main element for making the idols but what many of us don’t know is that the soil comes from some specific sources. From oral history, we know that soil is first brought from patitapalli (an area where sex workers live). Then it comes from the potter, herdsman, Brahmin and even from the dom (crematorium workers). We have chosen nine such characters and depicted their lives in the pandal. The soil used to make the idols needs to be made tough in order to sustain the shapes. The huge bust of Maa Durga at the entrance is therefore kept with its face upturned on an earthen stove, to symbolise the process by which the idols are dried. We can draw an analogy from here for the nine characters depicted in the pandal. These people burn themselves through their hard work and like the soil that they provide, transform their lives into something rare and beautiful while giving shape to their dreams. That is our message. Our Matri murti (idol of Maa Durga) is painted by the famous Baul singer, Parbati Das Baul.
Subarna Banerjee commenced the evening's programme with a dance accompanying the classic Agomoni number Bajlo tomar alor benu
“We have two to three lakh footfall per day every year and we are expecting the same this time. Given the increasing crowd, we have adopted various safety measures. We have a one-way route to and from the pandal and have a policy where the pandal and all the people are insured,” he added.
Sparsh Mukherjee's mellow notes on the guitar enchanted the audience
Rooting for the club is: Arunima Ghosh. “Their theme is extraordinary. I heard the full story depicting the various sources from which the idol is made. The work is very innovative, unique and close to the earth. We can make the pandal gorgeous by decorating it with a lot of things but executing such a deep thought with simplicity and the essence of the soil is a much more challenging task and they have done it so well. If I were to decide, I would definitely choose them as a winner. What I found exceptional about 66 Pally is their philosophy that less is more. Their pandal is also largely eco-friendly and that too deserves praise,” said Arunima.
Young couples in the neighbourhood joined in for a fun conversation on their married lives that also featured a curated Q&A session by Prajeet and Pradyumna Mukherjee of 66 Pally club
Activities: The evening started with a dance performance by Subarna Banerjee to the tunes of the popular Agomoni song Bajlo tomar alor benu. This was followed by a guitar recital by Sparsh Mukherjee, a talented youngster. Moumita Sarkar and Payal Pal from IIHM then felicitated Arunima with gift hampers. A fun talk show featuring couples followed, wherein new and old couples from the neighbourhood indulged in hilarious anecdotes on married life and shared interesting para gossip, with Arunima chairing the session. The evening’s entertainment was brought to a close by more performances by young members of 66 Pally.