Sponsors come back in nick of time, relief for small and mid-level pujas

Kolkata: Advertisers have made a comeback in the nick of time, releasing funds for several mid- and small-sized Durga Pujas that were struggling to meet essential costs as several brands had held back funds due to the uncertainty over the state’s biggest festival following the RG Kar tragedy.Several puja committees have received “up to 50% sponsorship in the past week” while others are hopeful of receiving a chunk of the rest of the amount in the coming days.Hundreds of small- and mid-sized Durga Pujas in the city depend on corporate largesse along with the grant from the govt — which is Rs 85,000 this year — to a large extent. While the orders for the idols, pandals and decorators are placed in advance and are non-negotiable as far as expenses are concerned, many organisers were contemplating tweaking decorations, public address systems, volunteers and arrangement of prasad for their members.“Advertisers have had a change of heart at the last moment, and thankfully so. Till Sept 16, we had received only 30% funds and had almost given up hope. We were contemplating pooling in money from our personal resources as we cannot default on payments. But since Sept 17, brands started expressing interest and started releasing money in tranches. We have received 70% funds that were promised and hope to receive the rest in the next week,” said Subhankar Saha, secretary of Vivekananda Park Athletic Club near the Haridevpur bus stop. This is the 54th year of the club’s Durga Puja.Lake Town Adibasi Brinda, which has a budget of Rs 20 lakh, is dependent on advertisements to a large extent. “We have received around 50% of the sponsorship in the past few days and hope to receive some more in the next few days,” said Amitabha Kundu of the Lake Town Adibasi Brinda.Senior members of several puja committees are conducting meetings with sponsors daily. “It is one of our main focus areas now as there are only a few days left for the festival. The sponsorships are important as we have to make final payments to stakeholders,” said Ashok Ojha, joint secretary of the Mohammad Ali Park Durga Puja committee.Adibasi Brinda on Kanai Dhar Lane near College Square received 25% of the total funds promised only after the situation on the ground started changing with several meetings between the protesting junior doctors and the administration. The pre-puja shopping rush, too, prompted the companies to set aside caution and participate in the festival.“We, too, are sad and angry with whatever happened at RG Kar and want the perpetrators to be punished by law. Durga Puja is important because millions of livelihoods are linked to it. We have received 25% of sponsorship funds and expect to get another 40% in a few days,” said Somnath Biswas, secretary of the club.