Bhupen statue to greet people at Santipur Sluice Gate puja

GUWAHATI: A six feet mechanized statue of Bhupen Hazarika will greet people at the puja pandal of Santipur Sluice Gate Sarbajanin Puja this year. The puja committee members came up the idea of erecting a statue of Hazarika as he represents the heart and soul of Assam.
However, Hazarika will not be the only attraction at this puja as the revelers will also be given an opportunity to witness the sinking of the Titanic. The sinking of the ship is being displayed to commemorate the centenary of the disaster.
The Santipur Sluice Gate Sarbajanin Puja Committee is quite popular among revellers for their theme-based pandals. With a budget of around fifteen lakh, the pandal will be made on a model of a Thailand Buddhist temple this year. The insides of the pandal are being made of 'tokou' leaves and the interior panels will depict scenes from the Ramayana and scenes from village life as well. A 26 feet mechanized whale will also be put into display on one of the two ponds of Pragjyotish College, which lies opposite the pandal, for children.
Last year, the pandal was built like the Capitol Hill building of Washington DC in pure white. In 2010, the theme of the committee was the Titanic.
The committee has roped in a sculptor and designer from Kolkata this year. "Monjit Das, the Kolkata-based sculptor, who will be making the main idol, has been involved with us for a while now," said magazine secretary Manoj Das. He added, "The depiction of Titanic will be done through lighting and laser show. There will be a mechanized rickshaw that will have an old couple on its seat talking about the puja and this will be done by Satyaban Kalita, a Palasbari-based lighting designer. Bhupen Hazarika's music will be playing in the background through out."
The idol of the goddess has been made to represent a regular woman. The sari of the idol will be made of soil. "I want to thank Kamal Das, the president of the committee and Nilav Jyoti Das for their hard work. We have been winning awards for quite a few years now and we will be striving to win awards this year too. The Sluice Gate Puja Committee was formed in1996," said Das.