Men, women and children from over 100 neighbourhoods in and around Calcutta danced, paraded in costumes from all over Bengal and showcased their Durga Puja idols on Red Road in a carnival finale to the festivities on Friday.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, unwell and mostly homebound for several days now, sat along with other guests on a stage in front of which the performances took place.
There was even one group with a little girl dressed in Mamata’s now iconic white sari with blue border.
Some Puja organisers used props like large hand-held fans and dazzling light boards to decorate their tableaux.
A group of children was dressed like trees, trying to give a social message.
The Durga Puja carnival started in 2016. Some of the 100 Puja committees invited for the show had queued up overnight for the event that started at 4pm on Friday.
Thousands of common people gathered along Red Road, Kidderpore Road and Mayo Road to witness the spectacle. Getting to see some of the city’s most celebrated idols in one go has become a lure for many who lined up the roads.
Once a contingent crossed Red Road, the trailers headed towards the immersion ghats they had been assigned.
“The Puja committees have been distributed into groups for immersion into various ghats. For example, Nimtala Ghat will have eight immersions while Baje Kadamtala Ghat will have around 40 immersions on Friday night,” said an officer at police headquarters Lalbazar.
The carnival ended around 8.40pm.