Jewels, gems and expertise of artists shape Ma's murtis

The grandeur of Durga Puja pandals has much to do with the size of idols of the goddess as also their embellishment.Decorations at various places in the city vie for the best show every year. At the pandal by trans-Gomti Dussehra and Durga Puja Committee in Aliganj, the eco-friendly Murt and its Chal Chitra (backdrop are decorated with 'kulo', a traditional handmade bamboo tray.The 15-foot-wide structure is made of bamboo and hay . Along with golden jewellery for Durga idol, elaborate white and silver ornaments are made of lotus flower stem.
President of the committee D K Chaudhary told TOI, “It took around three months, Rs 75,000 and six people to make the idol. The decoration was supervised by Ranjit Chakravorty , who designs the UP tableau for the Republic Day parade.“
The gorgeous pink and golden Devi idol at the Ravindrapalli pandal looks mesmerising under yellow light. The ornaments for the 15-foot idol have been ordered from West Bengal.
Said to be the most expensive in the city, the Sahara Estate Durga idol is pure white with silver decoration. “The cost of the idol is around Rs 50 lakh and It has been decorated by Bengali artists,“ said a member. General secretary of Cantt puja Subir Dutta said of the multi-coloured idol, “We wanted a vibrant and more flamboyant look for the goddess this year.“
Foodies miss the taste of Bengal
At Puja pandals this year, what's missing is the lip-smacking traditional Bengali dishes like ilish, dimer devil, mutton chops and kathi rolls, much to the disappointment of Bengalis, as well as other visitors.Food stalls at most of the pandals in the city are serving local fast food comprising chaat, Chinese food, pizza and confectionary items. Gomtinagar resident Manisha Asthana said, “It would have been thoughtful of organisers to have made arrangements for Bengali food stalls.“ Rakesh Kumar, who had come in hope of finding traditional food, said, “Not finding Bengali food is more disappointing for non Bengalis as we can't even cook any of it at home.“