A sudden storm recently came as a divine intervention for residents of Dheklapara, a tea estate in Alipurduar district that has been shut for around 22 years.
Jobless workers and their families, worried about money to organise the over-a-century-old Kali Puja at the garden this year, got an opportunity to arrange funds by selling the timber of the trees uprooted by the storm.
“A few weeks back, a storm uprooted some teak and siris trees. These were old trees of the garden. After the storm, workers approached officials of the state forest department for permission to sell the timber,” said Swapan Samjhar, a member of the Kali Puja organising committee in Dheklapara.
On getting permission, they sold the timber for ₹7 lakh.
Many workers of Dheklapara have been sitting jobless for 22 years, while some have moved to other states in search of jobs.
With ₹7 lakh in hand, it was decided that each of the 325 workers' families would be paid ₹2,100.
“The money was distributed among the families. Then, from each family, we sought a contribution of ₹200 for Kali Puja, which they happily paid. So we managed to create a corpus of ₹65,000. We also collected another ₹1 lakh from other sources. We used this ₹1.65 lakh for Kali Puja,” said a senior worker.
He pointed out that every year, both Durga and Kali Pujas are held at Dheklapara.
The Kali Puja here, he said, started early in the 20th century. "People say it is a 112-year-old tradition," he added.
"Our Kali Puja draws thousands from the neighbouring gardens. Even those who have migrated to other states like Kerala and Rajasthan come home to celebrate Diwali and Kali Puja,” said Samjhar, adding that hundreds of women also take part in the rituals.
“From Friday morning, we will start distributing bhog prasad of khichuri and vegetables. This bhog distribution will go on throughout the day. This is yet another major expense for which we need funds every year. The garden is closed but we are trying to maintain the 112-year-old tradition,” said Swapna Toppo, a woman worker.
