EE Block
In its silver jubilee year, EE Block’s puja will be showcasing the irony of food scarcity and food wastage going hand-in-hand during the pandemic. “The theme will be brought to life by artiste Manas Roy who will be decorating the pandal with nearly 5,000 earthen pots,” said working president of EE Block Sarodotsav Committee, Soumik Ghosh at their khunti puja. “Most of the pots are being sourced from the same place that Puri’s Jagannath temple pots get created at. We decided on this as the temple’s devotees never return home without prasad. The pots there always cook enough for everyone.”Joint secretary Kaushik Ghosh added that the pots are also of eco-friendly material. “The pandemic has left many people with financial constraints and we shall pray to the goddess that pots at everyone’s home prepares enough to fill the family’s stomachs,” he said. The budget for the puja’s idols, pandal and lighting is about Rs 17 to 18 lakh. Besides MLA and minister Sujit Bose, brand ambassadors of the puja — actress Solanki Roy of Baba Baby O fame — and Sidhu of the Bangla band Cactus were also present at the khunti puja. While Sidhu announced that he would be composing and singing a theme song for the puja, Solanki was simply happy to be back home.“I have grown up in EE Block,” she smiled. “I have lived here for the first 20 or 21 years of my life so this puja is my para puja and is special to me.” Residents recalled how she would come and participate in the pujas during her childhood.
AE (Part 1)
AE (Part I), one of the biggest crowd-pulling pujas of the township, will be presenting a riverine theme this year. The announcement was made at their khunti puja held recently. It was attended by the likes of MLA and minister Sujit Bose and mayor Krishna Chakraborty. “The last two years naturally drew less crowd than in pre-Covid editions but this time the situation seems to be less threatening and we expect people to throng our puja like before,” said secretary Supriyo Chakraborty. “We have established our puja as a strong brand and curious passerby have already started visiting our construction site to ask what our theme will be.” The theme-makers are brothers Partha and Siddhartha Ghosh, who have been creating attractive pandals at this block over the last couple of years. “The lives of fishermen and those who live by the river will be showcased at the pandal,” said Partha. “Their boats, fishing nets and, of course, the water will be depicted artistically through light, sound and installations. Their joys as well as challenges will be brought to life.” This will be the puja’s 39th year. “We realise that Sreebhumi Sporting Club, across the footbridge from our block, will be celebrating their 50th year this time and we are sure pandal-hoppers will eagerly visit both the pujas,” said Chakraborty.
Bidhan Abasan
Bidhan Abasan will be celebrating master filmmaker Satyajit Ray at their puja pandal this October. “Since we have recently crossed Ray’s birth centenary we wanted to replicate the world he immortalised on screen,” general secretary Alock Sardar said at the housing society’s khunti puja recently.
So expect either paintings or cutouts of the village scenery depicted in Pather Panchali — the train, kash phul, mud huts... “We want to use shola cutouts but it would be a challenge if it rains through the puja days, in which case we may opt for simple art work,” says Sardar, himself an amateur artiste who would be involved in the planning of the theme.
MLA and minister Sujit Bose and councillors Tulsi Sinha Roy and Banibrata Banerjee had come down for the khunti puja and the organisers revealed a painting of the pandal to be — designed like a village natmandir. There would also be cut-outs of Apu and Durga, characters of Pather Panchali, as well as a towering one of Ray himself.
The idols and their decor would be made completely out of clay with a touch of rural art. “This is our 36th year but we began with theme puja only last year. Response was so good that residents insisted that we carry on with the practice. Along with their expectations, our budget has risen too from about Rs 4.6 lakh last year to Rs 8.5 lakh this year,” he said.
FD Block
FD Block held its khunti puja on Rathyatra day but is holding back its theme for the 38th year. “It will be a village in a forest area somewhere abroad,” is all that puja committee president Banibrata Banerjee would let on. Trees have started being planted at the park to get the forested look. Mintu Pal is in charge of making the idol.
Though the pandemic has ebbed, the block will continue the practice of take-away community lunch in place of the sit-and-eat custom of pre-pandemic years.
Telengabagan
Calcutta Municipal Corporation deputy mayor Atin Ghosh (right) and women and child development minister Sashi Panja at the khunti puja of Telengabagan Sarbojanin in Ultadanga. The theme for the 57th year is gorbhogriher itikatha, with a feel of Buddhism and the Northeast. Pradip Rudra Pal is the idol-maker while Sidhu, the Cactus frontman, is composing the theme music.
BJ Block
In its 39th year, the pandal of the BJ Block puja will be a replica of a Ram temple. The theme will be akalbodhon-ei aakaler samapti. “The story of Ram’s akal bodhan will be told through pictures on the temple wall,” said puja joint secretary Umashankar Ghosh Dastidar. Mayor Krishna Chakraborty attended the khunti puja on July 10.