1. Newtown Sarbojanin
The puja that occupied the top of the crowd-puller chart on debut last year has retained its spot this year. The pandal and idol inspired by Kangra paintings, had people happily wait for 20-25 minutes to reach the head of the queue. “The footfall seems to be 10 times that of last year. The crowd that we got on three peak days in 2022 this time has started from Dwitiya itself,” said puja committee vice-president Tapas Adhikary.
The crowd was such that on Navami night, around 2.30am, people were seen to park their cars on the City Square side of the flyover and walk down to the puja. The service road on the side of the pandal was packed anyway. The crowd came from both the Major Arterial Road and the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Government College side. About 7,000-8,000 people waited outside at any given time, according to police estimate. “The flow is steady from 4pm to 5am,” said a security guard on duty at the exit gate inside.
Things had come to such a pass that there was a verbal spat with the local police on Sashthi, after which the puja authorities sent a mail to the police commissioner. That meant from 60 cops, the deployment increased to about 120, and senior police officers also started dropping by. There were more personnel from the traffic wing.
“Our pandal is very social media-friendly, unlike big ones, like Tala Prattoy, which are tough to show in a frame and need lengthy explanations. The reels had gone viral,” smiled secretary Samaresh Das, explaining the high footfall.
Another big draw here was the carnival on the adjoining ground with Ferris wheel, sari and ornament stalls and food stalls.
2. BJ Block
The crowds at BJ Block were so thick that from Saptami onwards they had to bend the queue through the lanes before it reached the pandal. The puja featured a huge fibre bust of Shiva with patterns of lights projecting on it in the evenings.
This light show proved such a big draw that on Saptami, they had to cancel it altogether. But even this did not decrease footfall, a senior police officer said. “The BJ Block puja does not get such huge footfall, so the organisers were not prepared. Guardrails and barricades were not in place. Police deployment was increased from Ashtami and our officers came from other thana areas also for supervision. That helped keep the situation under control on Ashtami and Navami,” he added.
Visitors click the show at BJ Block. Brinda Sarkar
The light and sound show at BJ Block was scaled down on police orders on Saptami night. Instead of a six-minute video projection on the 60ft replica of the Adiyogi of Coimbatore, still pictures were projected for the next two days along with sound.
“Till Sashthi, we did not face a problem. But on Saptami, the situation became so bad that we had to rescue five or six children from being trampled. The organisers were running a six-minute show, so the crowd would be stopped outside for that length of time. We had asked the organizers to make the projection less than a minute in duration but they would not listen. When any of the 10 barricades was being opened the crowd was rushing forward with such frenzy that they hardly noticed if someone fell. I went home at dawn with shoemarks on my uniform trousers and arms aching from holding the crowd back. People even walked over me when I bent down to drag children out from the surge of onrushing feet. Our senior officers decided to stop the show after 10pm as we were scared of a mishap and gave permission to play a scaled down version. The committee had done too much publicity and people came from afar,” said a police officer who was on duty at the puja that night.
The BJ Block organisers were bemused at the decision. “It was the administration’s failure that the crowd could not be controlled. People had really connected with our puja. They deserved to see the real show,” said joint secretary Umashankar Ghoshdastidar.
By Navami night they had cancelled the VIP pass entrance to control crowds and Piyush Nathany, a visitor leaving the pandal, was overheard sharing tips with others still in queue. “This way you’ll take hours. Go to the exit and show them your VIP pass. They might show mercy and let you in,” he was advising.
Others had found a way to cut the queue. They spotted a walkway between two lanes blocked by guardrails and branches and decided to go over it. Young men climbed over, young women pulled their dupattas over thorny branches and parents handed wailing babies to people on the other side before jumping over themselves.
The full show was resumed on Vijaya Dashami. The goddess was immersed on Ekadashi, Wednesday.
“No doubt the pandal was gorgeous but it wasn’t worth waiting an hour and a half for,” said Ranajay Aich, who had come from the UK to his Purbachal home for the Pujas. “After the BJ ordeal we had no energy left to continue pandal-hopping. I much preferred HB and GD Block pujas that were less crowded but just as creative.
Auto and rickshaw drivers said passengers were annoyed to know that the light show had been cancelled, but they never pointed the same out to passengers before taking them to the pandal, lest they lose business.
3. FD Block
“For Salt Lake residents, pandal-hopping isn’t complete till we visit FD Block,” smiled Bibhuti Bolley, a Sector IV resident, on Navami night. He had come to witness the dokra pandal and wasn’t disappointed. “I’m also impressed with the crowd management here. There was a reasonable crowd but it was always on the move. It took me just 10 minutes to see the idol once I entered the park.”
Visitors at the FD Block puja, done up with dokra-style decor. Brinda Sarkar
Banibrata Banerjee, who is the puja president as well as the local councilor, said they pride themselves on their crowd management skills. “This is our focus right from the time of planning the puja. We draw more crowd than other pandals but visitors do not feel suffocated,” said Banerjee.
He added that they had provision to hold 2,500 visitors at a time. “We can accommodate 1,100 people between the park’s gate and the pandal. Some 500 people can linger in the fair, another 500 at the stalls right outside the puja, and about 300 around the rides. A steady stream of visitors pours in from 5pm and 4am daily but the system does not collapse.”
The fair in FD Park was a huge draw too. There were rides, delicacies and an underwater fish tunnel. “My daughter has been most excited to visit FD puja so she can avail each and every ride. She has also been begging me to let her into the fish tunnel so she can meet Nemo and his friends,” said Debashish Roy, father of a four-year-old girl.
Rickshaw driver Santosh Marjit had chosen the exit to wait at. “I’ve lost count of the number of trips I’ve made between FD Block and the golden triangle of BJ, AJ and AK Blocks. The fares always go north during the pujas and I’m charging a minimum of Rs 70 for a trip,” he said.
Car parking, though, was a mess with vehicles parked on both sides of the Broadway, the street towards Karunamoyee and lanes of the blocks facing FD. “Our sole job is to stop cars from barging into FD Block,” said Subhro Biswas, a civic volunteer, stationed at the lane opposite GG community hall. “Some people are flashing VIP passes at us but those are meant for visitors, not cars. We’re getting into arguments with them.”
4. AK Block
The spice-themed pandal proved to be quite hot indeed and revelers poured in from far and wide. “The cargo containers transported me back to 1498 when the Portuguese had first started their trade with India,” remarked Sushmita Banerjee, a history teacher. “The Chand Saudagar saga depicted on the idol’s chalchitra binds together the marine theme in a cohesive manner,” said Anubhav Chaubey.
The AK Block pandal had spices all around. Brinda Sarkar
But the traffic outside was chaotic. Both sides of the main roads outside had cars parked and the sheer volume of traffic brought movement to a standstill. One felt like reaching for a mask – if not in fear of Covid then to escape the exhaust of so many cars at the junction. Tired of waiting, those approaching in chauffer-driven cars got off around Tank 8 and walked a good distance to the AK Block pandal.
A resident of BE Block, who had work in CK Market on Ashtami night, was stuck at Tank 9 both to and from his destination. “The round trip that usually takes 15 minutes took over an hour. It was ridiculous! Countless cars were pouring in from Karunamoyee and there were so many rickshaws on the road I felt I was in Dhaka!” he said.
Besides private vehicles, autos and rickshaws were hogging road space. “Hundreds of pandal-hoppers are crossing over from the Baisakhi and Lake Town footbridges. We’re all scouting for passengers there,” said Rajesh Naskar, an auto driver who had brought “reserve passengers” to AK Block. “We’re charging them Rs 350 an hour and taking them to AK, AJ, BJ, FD, EC and Labony. Such a tour is taking some four hours.”
Tortoise, an AK Block restaurant opposite the 8 number Island, said they were doing bumper business too. “We just opened on Mahalaya and what a reception! There’s heavier rush by the day. We are open till 3am but people are knocking on our doors till 6. We’ve put up a shed on the footpath along with 25 chairs and they’re getting full by 9 o’clock,” said manager Dipak Das.
5. AJ Block
The pandal that showcased different figurines out of wicker baskets was a big draw too.
“While people loved our theme, it is also true that we are strategically located. Hoards of revelers cross the 206 footbridge into Salt Lake and see our puja before any other. Likewise, those headed to Sreebhumi from Salt Lake see our puja before crossing that bridge too,” said Moinak Dutta, AJ Block’s puja secretary.
Inside the AJ Block pandal. Brinda Sarkar
All evening there was a sea of people trying to cross the street between AJ and BJ Blocks and the police was using ropes, whistles and warnings to stop them from spilling onto the road. “This single street has 12 people from the traffic police trying to ensure safety,” said a police person stationed at the junction. The block had also deployed seven security guards and more than 10 resident volunteers.
“AJ Block’s theme was innovative. It’s just that we had to park our car a good 10-minute walk away,” said Rubina Bhattacharya, who had come from Kasba.
“The crowd is immense, like pre-Covid times and sale is proportional to footfall,” said Sudhir Singh, in charge of a chips stall.
Inputs from Meghangshi Mustafi
Ranks based on Bidhannagar police feedback