Artist Tapas Maity, in charge of the society's pandal, has been flown in from Kolkata to create a theme-based pujo. This year’s concept is based on Shahaj Path, the first book of Bengali alphabets.
The unmistakable cotton-balled clouds in the bright blue expanse, a slight nip in the air... and the scene is set for one of the biggest annual cultural fiestas — Durga Puja! Yes, with just a week left, the frenzy is hard to miss and Indirapuram residents are all geared up for a marathon week of fun.
The pandals are almost up and are receiving their final touches before the idols arrive from the artisan’s workshops.
Artist Tapas Maity, in charge of Prantic Cultural Society’s Pandal near Shipra Mall, comes down from Kolkata every year to create a bit of the city for those away from home.
This year’s decoration is based on "Shahaj Path". For the uninitiated, it is the first book of Bengali alphabets penned by Rabindranath Tagore.
The pandal is also decorated with cut-outs of hand-pulled rickshaws, spinning tops, chau masks, famous movie pictures of Uttam-Suchitra, the hit screen duo of black-and-white cinema. “I also have the quintessential Bengali doi-wala — they were similar to ice-cream vendors of today. We also have bullock cart and other familiar scenes of Kolkata life in the days gone by. We have also brought the famous clay dolls of Krishnanagar, and are also planning to place a gramophone in the pandal,” Maity explained.
Last year’s theme at Prantic was rural Kolkata.
Malay Mazumdar, a member of Prantic, confessed to City Spidey that the committee had to brave several challenges this year, especially in terms of budget. He said, “Despite the constraints, we had to keep up with the tradition of having a theme-based puja like last year. But this year’s budget was slashed by over 30 per cent.”
