'Shera' crown for bari pujas

KOLKATA: Durga Puja is over, but the festive spirit is still in the air. And to take the mood of celebration to the next level, here's some good news for those pujabaris which edged past others to bag the 'Times of India & Ei Samay Pujo Barir Shera Pujo 2013' award in a keenly fought contest.
The Shera Pujo challenge, as usual, was divided into two categories.While some sparkled with their unique themes, others stood out with their dazzling decorations. Yet others scored with the 'para' spirit. In the end, it was Ekta Heights of Raja SC Mullick Road and Uniworld of New Town that emerged winners and runners-up, respectively, in category-I. In category - II, Devalok Fort of Raja SC Mullick Road and Millennium Apartment of Jadavpur walked away with the winners' and the runners-up awards.
For Ekta Heights, it was a sweet hat trick. The apartment had been the winner in 2011 and a runners-up last year. With 'confluence of faith' as their theme, Ekta Heights was indeed a notch above the rest. Their pandal was decorated with perfectly crafted designs, paperwork and lanterns that centred around their theme. "We have been waiting for this day. A hat trick of wins is something that the entire apartment had been praying for and it has come true," said an excited Sudita Paul Chowdhury, secretary of the puja.
For runners-up Uniworld, it turned out to be a case of first-time lucky. "This was the first time we took part and we have finished second. We couldn't have hoped for a better start," said Rajib Banerjee, general secretary.
In category-II, it was Devalok Fort of SC Mullick Road that sailed past the rest. Last year, it had bagged a judges' award. "We have broken into the main category this time. Every resident was keen to make sure that we do better. And we have. We are keeping our fingers crossed for next year," said Bandana Banerjee of the Puja committee.
Just as delighted were the residents of Millenium Apartment in Jadavpur that walked away with the runners-up prize. "It will inspire us to carry on with the good work. Next year, we will do better," said Saswata Guin of Millennium Apartment.
The 'Times of India & Ei Samay Pujo Barir Shera Pujo 2013' was presented by Alcove Realty, powered by Straavi, in association with National Insurance, LIC Housing Finance and Alcove Gloria Mall. The event was supported by Club Salon.
The participants were divided into two categories: Category-I for complexes with 100 or more flats and Category-II for complexes with less than 100 apartments. The total prize money was Rs 5 lakh. Overall, there were 64 prizes to fight for.
In category-I, the first prize was Rs 1,00,000 and the second prize Rs 50,000. There were five judges' awards of Rs 10,000 each. The winners of category-II won Rs 50,000 and the runner-up Rs 25,000. There were five judges' awards of Rs 5,000 each in this category as well. In addition, there were 50 special appreciation awards of Rs 4,000 each.
A panel of 18 judges assessed the pujas. And they were suitably impressed. "I have been with Pujo Barir Shera Pujo since its inception. It involves a sense of community participation and inspires organizers to not just improve the standard of organization, but to do something for the community as well," said actor Arindam Sil, one of the judges.
Fellow judge Debabrata Chakrabarti felt the pujas were extremely homely. "Most pujas that we visited were like those that were held in joint families of the past. Each of them deserved to be a winner," he said.
Apart from Sil and Chakrabarti, others in the judges' panel were Koneenica Banerjee, Kanchana Moitra, Ashoke Viswanathan, Wasim Kapoor, Atanu Ghosh, Aditi Chatterjee, Dwijen Bandyopadhyay, Pranay Poddar, Debjani Chatterjee, Akash Rohira, Sarbari Dutta, Pallabi Chatterjee, Bimal Kundu, Swapan Maity, Tamal Mukherjee and Michael J Robertson.