This year, Durga Puja is being held in an environment like never before. Tens of thousands of people are out on the roads for a taste of the greatest confluence of art, faith, tradition and innovation. For many, who are seeking justice for a heinous crime, the autumnal festival has arrived amid a season of protest. This Puja is a mix of the two for many others. Durga Puja is a day shorter this year since Ashtami and Navami are on the same day (October 11). A Telegraph guide to the festive days:
EYE ON SKY
Light rain with the occasional thundershower is likely in Calcutta on Durga Puja, the Met office has said. The sky is tipped to switch colours frequently, gloomy now and bright and sunny next. When it does not rain, brace for high humidity. A Met bulletin has predicted that "partly cloudy sky with light to moderate rain/thundershower" is likely in some areas on Sashthi and Saptami (October 9 and 10).
"Partly cloudy sky with light rain" is likely to occur in some areas on Navami (October 11). The forecast for Dashami (October 12) is "partly cloudy sky with very light rain in some areas".
A Met official said the showers are unlikely to be heavy. "The rain may not be uniform. One place in the city might get drenched and another might remain dry at the same time," he said.
ROADS
Several road restrictions and no-parking zones have been introduced for the Durga Puja days, whose details are available on the Calcutta traffic police website.
POLICE DEPLOYMENT
Besides the usual deployment, there will be 200 pickets near major pandals with close to 500 police personnel in each. Around 5,000 home guards will be deployed and police will keep a watch from 54 watch towers.
A special team will scan social media posts for leads on possible protests outside pandals. There will be 16 Heavy Radio Flying Squads and 13 Radio Flying Squads. Each of the 10 divisions will have mobile missing squads to trace anyone missing in the crowd
HELPLINES
• Emergency helpline: 100
• Lalbazar control room: 22143230
• Traffic police helpline: 9830010000
• Children's helpline: 1098
• Missing person's squad: 22505153, 22141430
• Fire: 101
• Fire brigade control room: 22861570, 22521165
• Ambulance: 102
• CESC: 9831079666, 9831083700 and 1912
• WBSEDCL: 9831079666 and 9831083700
GOODS VEHICLES
All goods vehicles, except those associated with emergency services, shall be prohibited in the city on the following days: 8am on October 9 (Sashthi) to 3am on October 10 (Saptami); 8am on October 10 to 4am on October 11 (Ashtami-Navami); 7am on October 11 to 4am on October 12 (Dashami).
TRANSPORT
Government buses will run in greater numbers. Private bus operators said their fleet will also be out on the roads and operate till late at night to cater to the demands of pandal-hoppers. Autos will have restricted movement till 2pm on Sashthi, after which three-wheelers will be off the roads. Metered taxis and appcabs, including those that have joined the government initiative, Yatri Sathi, will be available round-the-clock. But brace for a steep surge in fares.
METRO RAIL
North-South corridor (Blue Line): On Sashthi (October 9), Metro will run 288 trains between 6.50am and midnight. The last train for Kavi Subhas will leave Dakshineswar at 11.48pm. The last Dakshineswar-bound train will leave Kavi Subhas at 11.50pm. The last Dum Dumbound train from Kavi Subhas and the last Kavi Subhasbound train from Dum Dum will leave at midnight. On Saptami, Ashtami and Navami (October 10 and 11), there will be 248 trains, starting at 1pm. The last Dum Dum-bound train from Kavi Subhas and the last Kavi Subhas-bound train from Dum Dum will leave at 4am. The last Kavi Subhas-bound train will leave Dakshineswar at 3.48pm. The last Dakshineswar-bound train will leave Kavi Subhas at 3.48pm. On Dashami (October 12), Metro will run 174 trains from 1pm to midnight. The last train will leave Dakshineswar for Kavi Subhas at 11.48pm. The last train for Dakshineswar will leave Kavi Subhas at 11.50pm. The last trains for Dum Dum and Kavi Subhas will leave either station at midnight
East-West First Phase (Green Line I, between Salt Lake Sector V and Sealdah): On Sashthi, Metro will run 106 trains. The first train will leave Sealdah at 6.55pm and Sector V at 7.05am. The last train will leave Sealdah at 9.35pm and Sector V at 9.40pm. On Saptami and Ashtami-Navami, there will be 64 trains. The first train will leave Sealdah at 1pm and Sec- tor V at 1.10pm. The last train will leave Sealdah at 11.20pm and Sector V at 11.30pm. On Dashami, the carrier will run 48 trains. The first train will leave Sealdah at 2pm and Sector V at 2.05pm. The last train will leave Sealdah at 9.40pm and Sector V at 9.45pm.
East-West Second Phase (Green Line II, between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade): On Sashthi, Metro will run 118 trains. The first train will leave Esplanade at 7am and Howrah Maidan at 7.10am. The last train will leave Esplanade at 9.44pm and Howrah Maidan at 9.54pm. On Saptami and Ashtami-Navami, there will be 118 trains. The first trains will leave Howrah Maidan and Esplanade at 1.30pm. The last will leave at 1.45am. On Dashami, there will be 80 trains. The first and last trains will leave the terminal stations at 2pm and 11.45pm.
Orange Line (between New Garia and Ruby): On Sashthi, there will be 74 trains from 8am to 8pm. Services will be off from Saptami to Ekadashi (October 10 to 13) Purple Line (between Joka and Majerhat): On Sashthi, there will be 18 trains from 8.30am to 3.35pm. Services will be off from Saptami to Ekadashi (October 10 to 13)
TIPPLE TALE
There are no dry days. There is no restriction on offshops, bars, pubs and clubs on the Puja days.
TREND
With the weather quite humid, choosing comfort over style will be your best bet for the Puja looks this year. Scoring high on trends are botanics (nature-inspired) and structured looks. For both menswear and womenswear, botanics are ideal for the day, be it sporting some cool street style for pandal-hopping or opting for easy-breezy silhouettes featuring the vibrant print or embroidery for a brunch with friends or a lunch get-together with your family.
For the evening and night looks, choose the statement-making structured looks with a hint of glitz and glam. Want to keep it low-key and sustainable? Drape your mom s saris, steeped in nostalgia. After a prolonged love for dopamine bringing in a burst of bright hues, this year, from outfits to make-up, neutral is the preferred palette. Keep your looks clean, chic and fuss-free
FILMS
Alia Bhatt plays sister courage in Jigra, which releases on Ashtami. Also lined up is Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, with Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri. Stree 2 continues to fire up the box office.
The big Tollywood releases this Puja include Bohurupi -- a thriller starring Abir Chatterjee, Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Koushani Mukherjee and Ritabhari Chakraborty. Srijit Mukherji's hostage thriller Tekka stars Dev, Swastika Mukherjee and Rukmini Maitra, while Mithun Chakraborty, Debashree Roy, Soham and Sauraseni Maitra come together in the socio-cultural drama Shastri.
Screen legends Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth feature in the Tamil action thriller Vettaiyan, which also stars Fahadh Faasil.
EVENTS
Some of the campaigns to select the best pujas from various PoV, in paras, in the housing complexes, through the eyes of the children or some of those who now call Calcutta their home.
• CESC The Telegraph True Spirit Puja, in association with The Bhawanipur Education Society College and Kutchina: Judges will go out on Sashthi and pick from a list of pujas the ones that reflect the true spirit of the Puja, making it safe, happy and meaningful for all. The focus for the selection of Model Puja, Five Star and Four Star awardees will be on crowd management, environmental consciousness and social responsibility. The movement is in its 22nd year now.
• The Telegraph Hand in Hand in your housing complex: Like every year, the event comes with the promise of festive fun to make pujas at housing complexes special. From dhunuchi naach to sit-and-draw contests and culinary shows, it promises something for everyone.
• Lalbaba Rice presents TTIS Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo powered by JIS Group and admissiontree.in: A jury of school students will shortlist the best five from among 50-odd Durga pujas. There will be awards for five categories -- Best Puja, Best Idol, Best Pandal, Best Innovative Puja and Judges Choice.
• Britannia Marie Gold Presents Puja Premier League: Around 100 community puja committees from the city and surrounding areas will compete for glory. The participants are given a project and judged on the basis of how they execute it.
• PARLE TOP Anandabazar Patrika SHAROD ARGHYA 1431: The campaign awards artistic brilliance in multiple categories. This year, the best will be chosen from more than 400 pujas in Calcutta, Howrah and adjoining areas.
