CR Park says no to plastic, Puja this year is a green affair

New Delhi: In south Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park, the feminine power of Ma Durga this puja season will be complemented by the gentle persuasion of Mother Earth. As the colony prepares to celebrate the annual event that defines Bengali faith, society and culture, the celebrants will not be blind to the concerns of the day. That is why the focus of the puja committees is on the environment.

While the pujo samitis have chosen themes that strike a chord in the largely Bengali population of the area, such as Rural Bengal at Pocket 40 and Folk Songs of Bengal at K Block, the material used for the construction and decoration of the

pandals

have been carefully chosen to ensure least damage to the environment.

Pocket 40, an affluent block near Market 1, has a budget of Rs 35 lakh, has fabricated the pandal from jute and cotton. Cultural secretary Samaresh Bhadra of the Navapalli Pujo Samiti there said this meant the organisers had to take extra care to ensure the pandal is rendered fireproof, but it was necessary to avoid the use of bio-undegradable materials. The K Block samiti, which is collaborating with TOI in its Sindoor Khela campaign to open up the custom to all women instead of the traditionally married set, has built its pandal with eco-friendly papier mache.

Ashim Banerjee in B Block, said, “We have stopped using

plastic

or any other unrecyclable material for the idols or the pandal.” Tamal Rakhit, the secretary there, added that they had even discontinued the use of plastic spoons and plates for the bhog. “Though we had to pay three times what we would have for plastic spoons, we bought steel spoons this year,” said Rakhit.

The only additional plastic at the puja areas will be special identity cards. “These cards will have to be used by residents to enter the pandals,” explained one of the puja organisers. Indeed, along with the modern worries about pollution and climate change, the samitis are mindful of the possibility of violence and terror too. To address these security concerns, most committees have hired private security guards and placed CCTV cameras at appropriate locations. The committees are also paying the Delhi Fire Services to have a fire-fighting squad present in

CR Park

through the festival.

The expenses incurred on these, among others, have made organising the puja a 10% costlier exercise than last year, according to some samiti members. Ashok Basu, president of the Pocket 52 committee, blamed GST for hindering fund collection this year. “We cannot accept more than Rs 10,000 in cash. This is not practical when we organise a puja on this scale. Businessmen are also reluctant because GST is levied on every transaction.”

Navapalli’s Bhadra added, “Due to the spiralling fuel prices, the transportation of essentials has become costly. To make ends meet, we have had to make compromises, like not inviting celebrities to perform at our pandal.” P K Paul, secretary of the EPDP Association, gave another aspect of the cost balancing when he said, “Rules on permits have become more stringent. Imagine we had to submit Rs 2 lakh to the power utility to get electricity for the festivities.”

But amid these familiar grumbling, the community will look at a more inclusive approach to the puja. “We have planned our pujo in such a way as to make it acceptable to non-Bengalis as their own festival too,” said Ravi Kant Singha, organising secretary at Pocket 40. Sindoor khela too will be different. K Block’s Subir Basu said, “We are happy to welcome everyone, including transgenders and widows, to our Sindoor Khela.” Bhadra said that elders from old-age homes have been invited and bhog will be sent to the homes too. Ashok Basu, president of Pocket 52 committee, said they will have volunteers who will ferry elders or the specially abled from their residences to the pujo pandals.

Once the festivities are over, the committees will try, as they have been doing for some years now, to minimise river pollution. B Block’s Banerjee disclosed that a tank will be dug up nearby and the idol immersed there to avoid polluting the Yamuna. In-house immersion will also mark the end of pujo at Pocket 52. The Pocket 52 samiti is also offering insurance cover for every visitor. But perhaps the eco-friendly measures being adopted at Chittaranjan Park are more important in that they are insurance for the health of Mother Earth.