A number of Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata have decided to reduce the size of their pandals and do away with decorations in front of the idols this year so visitors do not try to come close to the structures.
Chandeliers won’t hang low lighting up the space in front of the goddess and the deity will be placed on a higher pedestal than last year for clear visibility from a distance.
The three sides of the pandals will be kept open and the gates to the compound of some pujas will be wider this year to ensure faster movement of visitors.
With just about a month before Durga Puja — the five-day festivity starts on October 11 — most organisers have begun erecting pandals abiding by last year’s directives of Calcutta High Court.
Last year, the high court directive had come barely four days before the start of the Puja, by which time most committees had completed their preparations. The bench of Justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee had ordered that the area within 10 metres of a big pandal and 5 metres of a small pandal would be barricaded and declared as ‘no-entry zones’.
This year, several organisers said they were not willing to wait and watch for fresh orders. If amendments to the existing orders are passed, the pandals will be tweaked accordingly to make them compliant with the fresh set of rules, organisers said.
“Last year’s pandal was spread across 4,000sq ft. This year it will come up over 2,000sq ft,” said Sandipan Banerjee, of Behala Notun Dal.
“There will be no interior decorations, no chandeliers and enough open space for air to circulate.”
The organisers of the Maddox Square puja in Ballygunge have decided to scale down the pandal to around 3,000sq ft from 8,000sq ft last year.
“Instead of the permissible 25-30 members, we will have only 15-20 puja committee members inside the pandal,” said Amalendu Sarkar of the puja committee, referring to last year’s high court order that other than 25 to 30 members of the respective puja committees, nobody would be allowed to enter the pandals.
To ensure visitors get to see the idol clearly from a distance, the committee has ordered a bigger idol.
“Last year’s Durga idol was 12-feet high. This year’s will be 20-feet high,” said Subhasish Ghatak, of the puja committee.
Several other pujas, including Bosepukur Sitalamandir, have decided to bring the idol closer to the main entrance for better visibility while trying to work on some artistic formations behind the main pandal.
A few others like Tallah Barowari, in north Kolkata, have decided to place the idol on a higher pedestal and build bigger gates so visitors can move in and out fast.
The pandal will cover 6,000sq ft, compared with last year’s 4,000.
Hatibagan Sarbojonin will have four exit gates and one entry gate. Kumartuli Park will have no gates. Visitors will be allowed to walk inside the park, have a glimpse at the idol and leave.
Since the early-1990s, most of Kolkata’s big-ticket pujas had been installing small entry gates, resulting in crowds struggling to enter. The footfall during the evening rush hours would be showcased to draw more sponsors.
With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, all that is a thing of the past.
With pandals becoming “No Entry Zones”, sponsors are not keen on pouring funds and creativity has taken a back seat for most.
Kumartuli Park is yet to hear from any sponsors and Hatibagan Sarbojanin has talked to a few but none has finalised any deal.
