Kumar Sanu felicitates winners of Durge Devi contest

Tanvi / TNN / Oct 9, 2008, 00:00 IST

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Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a treat for all Kumar Sanu fans in the city who managed to catch a glimpse of their star at the Paschim Vihar Bengali Association puja.

Kumar Sanu felicitates winners of Durge Devi contest

NEW DELHI: Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a treat for all Kumar Sanu fans in the city who managed to catch a glimpse of their star at the Paschim Vihar Bengali Association puja. The winners of this year's Durge Devi Namastute contest were felicitated by the singer, amidst a crowd brushing shoulder to shoulder.
With the beat of dhaks roaring in the background to welcome the star, 10-year-olds to 40-year-olds had their cameras out and did not lose the opportunity to capture the moment forever.
After offering prayers to the goddess, Kumar Sanu was all praise for the organizers of the prize-winning pandal. Lifting their already high spirits further, he said, "This is a beautiful piece of art and I have liked it very much. It is clear that a lot of effort and skill has gone into creating this. I wish them the best for the future as well."
"Hip hip, Hurray!" were the loud cheers while Sanu awarded the organizing committee members. "We are the best", almost became the anthem for members of the Paschim Vihar puja. "What has been rewarded is the sheer hard labour of the karigars, who worked day and night on the pandal. We feel delighted having received this honour from Mr Kumar Sanu," said Mahadev Das, president of the Paschim Vihar Puja Samiti. Das further said, "It is very important for us to keep up the good work. We thank TOI and even promise to better ourselves the next year."

And, of course, the artist, whose songs are hummed by all, obliged those present and sang one of his evergreen romantic numbers, leaving the crowd spellbound and thirsting for more.
It was a time to rejoice for the other two awardees as well. The Milani Cultural & Welfare Association, which paid a tribute to newspapers through its pandal and won the second prize for aesthetic display, was gearing up for celebration. "We have organised a get-together for all our members and will have a "Raj Bhog" on Thursday. The six months that we spent working on the theme have been acknowledged. It is a motivation to do even better in the future," said Tapan Roy, president of MCWA.
For Safdarjung Enclave's Matri Mandir, who came third this year, receiving the award was a valuable recognition. "So far, we have secured an award in the Durge Devi Namastute contest every year. Even though we had curtailed our budget drastically, we have emerged as one of the best. This is very valuable to us. We hope to better the standards in future too," said Debashis Saha, head of the organising committee at Matri Mandir. He added, "Let's hope the economy gains stability and terrorism is controlled for the people to feel relaxed while enjoying the pujas next year."

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