A vortex of a void. A nursery of 8,000 plants. And a plough seeking to reclaim urban land for agriculture. Three pujas with different themes but with a similar commitment to the safety of visitors and care for the community got crowned as the CESC The Telegraph Model Puja 2024 in different categories.

Tala Prattoy, Samaj Sebi Sangha and Lalabagan Nabankur won in the Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories respectively in the award, being held in association with The Bhawanipur Education Society College and Kutchina this year. The pujas have been divided into three categories based on scale, environment, budget and past record.

A panel of judges — Rituparna Sengupta, Paoli Dam, Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Tota Roy Choudhury, Kathy Giles-Diaz, Andrew Fleming, Riccardo Dalla Costa, Gargi Chatterjea, Joyneel Mukherjee, Rupali Basu, Rupak Barua, Priyadarshini Hakim, Mukti Gupta, Rajendra Singh, Miraj D. Shah and Yogesh Kathuniya — gathered at SKAI, the rooftop restaurant and lounge at Quest Mall, on Wednesday and set out in quest of the best among the finalists among 300-odd pujas from Calcutta and Howrah.

HALL OF FAME: Olabibitola Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity

At Susanta Pal’s citadel in steel, 102 tonnes of it, at Tala Prattoy, the Model Puja in the Platinum category, the judges were taken by the journey into the centre of the void, where light infiltrates only at the foot level. Organiser Dhrubajyoti Bose sought to allay concerns about the lack of illumination by showing how promptly emergency lights would come on. “We have taken an insurance on visitors,” he said.

At Samaj Sebi Sangha, the Model Puja in the Diamond category, the use of natural elements like paddy ears, straw and clay impressed judges. Amid portrayals of village life stood a well. “This is for an emergency. Though the pandal is treated with fire retardants, we are not taking any chances,” said general secretary Arijit Maitra, adding that a part of their ₹45 lakh budget had been set aside to fill the well after Puja. At the khuti puja, they hosted children with autism in a sit-and-draw, alongside artists who will hold a workshop for them on Children’s Day.

Lalabagan Nabankur’s green splendour was a treat for the eyes and the lungs. “Our theme-maker Prasanta Pal reared 8,000 saplings for five months. Our 38ft pandal is connected to a tank atop a four-storeyed house by a motorised hose so we can douse water from the top in an exigency,” said Tapas Roy, the secretary of the Maniktala puja.

In the Platinum category, Five Star Pujas Chetla Agrani Club and Suruchi Sangha impressed with their themes of Ganga pollution and use of scrap materials as pandal décor, respectively. A poignant sight at the New Alipore puja was the door of an old age home where parents are “scrapped”.

The Diamond category Five Star Pujas are Sabarna Para Barisha Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity and Hazra Udayan Sangha. In the Gold category, Ultadanga Bidhan Sangha, with a 65ft boat, and North Tridhara Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee are the Five Star Pujas. Hatibagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee is the Voiceworx Truly Managed Puja for its efficiency in management.

Rituparna Sengupta and US consul general Kathy Giles-Diaz play the dhak at Suruchi Sangha on Wednesday.

Thakurpukur State Bank Park Sarbojanin, with its depiction of child art, is one of the two Hall of Fame inductees for their consistent showing. “We are so serious about safety that we have purchased fire extinguishers, a metal detector and a wheelchair,” said secretary Ajay Majumdar.

When the call went from Metro announcing their induction into the Hall of Fame, Olabibitola Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity organiser Akhilbandhu Bhattacharya said he felt “goosebumps”. “We have been with the TSP movement since its start in 2003, improving our performance year on year. We compete not with other Howrah pujas but with pujas of Calcutta. This is like winning the World Cup for us,” he said.