Red Road decks up for carnival, the grand farewell to Durga Puja

Kolkata: Over 100 Durga idols will join a march on Red Road to the rhythmic blend of lights, music and dance as the city bids farewell to the festival with the ‘Puja Carnival’ on Friday. Thousands of spectators, including foreign tourists, are expected at the grand show, which will mark the culmination of the festivity around Durga Puja, which has won the Unesco tag for intangible cultural heritage. Several roads in central Kolkata will be shut either completely or partially to make way for the idols rolling down Red Road amid cheering viewers. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been home-bound for a month due to her knee injury, will attend the show as the chief guest. But given her knee problem, the main dais has been kept low so that if needed, she can access it on a wheelchair. With doctors advising caution against climbing up and down stairs, Banerjee might not get down on the road too many times to get clicked with puja organizers, a practice at the carnival. With only one day to go, work is on at a frenetic pace to set up the main dais and the various pavilions and enclosures for spectators from home and abroad. Pavilions are being set up on either side of the entire Red Road, while the main dais is being decked up with decorative banners and a backdrop in the style of an old zamindar house, the design being hand-picked by the chief minister. Banerjee, along with guests and top diplomats, will be on the main dais. Hundreds of microphones have been installed on lamp posts from Red Road to the Hastings area and the entire stretch is being lit up with bright lights. Each of the puja committees accompanying the idols will put up a cultural show. Danseuse Dona Ganguly and her troupe would perform at the show, said a source. Actor Rituparna Sengupta would perform for Barisha Sarbajonin Durgatsov, said dancer Avirup Sengupta, who will also perform with her. Some of the artists may rehearse on Thursday, to facilitate which, portions of Red Road might be closed to traffic during that period. Clamour for passes peaked on Thursday, with around 20,000 people, including foreign visitors, being expected to turn out, an official said. He added there would be drones to capture pictures as well and to monitor the area. The KMC has deployed its teams, which are using machines to keep Red Road clean before the Carnival. For the thousands of revellers, 50 water tanks and 110 bins will be set up.
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