Sixty-feet tall Ravana effigy burnt at Salt Lake

Keeping up with the tradition of burning the tallest effigy in the city during Dussehra, the Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad Committee burnt a 60-feet tall Ravana effigy at

Central Park

(Salt Lake) on Tuesday evening. The event was attended by a host of politicians, including

Sujit Bose

(minister of state for fire), Vaishali Dalmiya (MLA), Krishna Chakraborty (mayor of

Bidhannagar

), Vivek Gupta (ex-MLA) and Lalit Beriwala (president of Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad), among others. The main objective of this event was to provide a vibrant interface between the citizens and the rich culture and tradition of West Bengal.

Many Hindus observe Dussehra with special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at their homes or in temples across India. They also organise outdoor fairs and events, where effigies of Ravana are burnt. The idols of Durga are immersed in water.

The event witnessed thousands of devotees, who thronged the grounds to watch the annual ritual of Ravana Dahan. Speaking about the event, Lalit Beriwala, president of the Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad, said, “We made special arrangements on the Central Park grounds to celebrate the victory of good over evil. Besides, burning the 60-feet-tall effigy of a strongly built Ravana, we had also organised a separate fire show during the event. We had hired artistes from various states to perform at the function. A series of rituals were performed before burning down the effigy. More than 25,000 people were present at the event.”