Pandals go for traditional decorations

PUNE: During Durgotsav, pandals across the city are highlighting some unique themes through their choice of decoration.
The Pune Kali Bari has recreated Kolkata’s Dakshineswar Temple as part of the festivities. “It’s a replica of the temple and we’ve used only eco-friendly material. Only wood, cane and cloth have been used. The entire temple replica cost approximately Rs20 lakh.The idol was made by artisans from Kolkata in Bhosalenagar. The temple was our main theme. Kali Bari is basically Ma Kali’s home. We also had a few singers from Kolkata to compose a theme song for us,” said Anup Dutta, general secretary of the group.
Amarnath Mukherjee, general secretary of Abahan at Ahmednagar Road, is the brain behind the decorations at the pandal. “Our idol is made to look like Mata Bhuvaneshwari and is seated on lotus petals. There are different vahanas like the lion, peacock, rat and duck. The idol is flanked by Ganapati and Laxmi on one side and Saraswati and Kartik on the other,” he said.
Some decorations also hold a social message. At the Nandanik Sanstha in Koregaon Park, the idol is decorated in the ‘ek chala’ tradition, where Durga and her children are mounted in a single frame. The group has also used paintings by Padma Bhushan awardee Jamini Roy.
All the material used in the decorations are biodegradable. Prodipto Roy, the group’s secretary, said, “Our theme is Earth Fit. We want to have celebrations while also ensuring that the earth can remain fit. It is an important theme for us. Our idol is entirely eco-friendly.”
Amantran, an association on BT Kawade Road, has also used the ‘ek chala’ tradition but with a mix of Bengali folk art. Prabal Bose, former president of the group, said, “We have used of Patachitra based on the story of Mahadeva. All the mythological stories are portrayed through pictures. We want to showcase those elements through our decoration.”
On Tuesday, the association had organized a special event to honour 15 war widows, whose husbands were martyred in Kargil and Leh. Bose, said, “We felicitated them in the presence of the local corporator. The main motto of our puja is to do something different each year. This year, the event involving the Kargil war widows was the highlight.”
Speaking on behalf of the war widows, Ritu Rana, wife of Subhedar Major Surdeep Singh, said, “I took the veer widows to the event and everyone appreciated the support they received. Nobody had organized an event like this for them before.”