Hordes of people from all corners of the national Capital and its peripheral areas are thronging Puja Pandals of Chittaranjan (CR) Park in South East Delhi, which is considered the hub of the Bengali culture is famous for celebrating major Bengali festivals with gaiety and fervour.
Durga Puja Pandals in Kalibari — organised by CR Park Kali Mandir Society — is a major attraction for “Dhunuchi Nach”, a traditional and devotional dance which is performed holding dhunuchi (an earthen pot filled with burning coconut husk and camphor) in front of Goddess Durga on Ashtami.
The Pandals have been decorated according to traditions that have become popular in Kolkata in the past two decades. Fun and frolic, delicious food, cultural functions, prayers, Aarti, DJ, and cultural nights are the main attractions of this Puja Pandal.
Another spectacular attraction is environment-friendly immersion of idols here. B-block puja has been doing on-site immersion for the past three years and the practice will continue this year too.
Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samiti has come up with eco-friendly measures with panchabhuta designs as its theme. The idols are made of clay of the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers and natural colours (limestone for white and turmeric for yellow) against the backdrop of an artificial waterfall. Mist sprinklers and the spattering of flowing water make the visitor feel like entering a cave. The five elements that come under panchabhuta are Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu and then Ether or Akasha.
Utpal Dey, president of the Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samiti, said, “The Samiti is showcasing panchabhuta, or five elements, following the Gond Art. We are using wooden planks, ply boards, jute ropes, bamboo, coconut shell, clay and butter paper. The panchabhuta designs have been created with inspiration from the Gond Art style, which is an Adivasi art form, existing across Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Odisha.”
Pradip Majumdar, general secretary of CR Park Kali Mandir Society, said, “We perform all the rites, including sacrifice, Bhoga, Pushpanjali, Yagna and Arati. We have been organising puja for 42 years. We have designed the Pandal in the shape of a Mandir in a very conventional Bengali design.”
The Puja Pandal in the central CR Park, Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samiti, is decorated with many food stalls offering Bengali cuisine. When asked, Rama Singh one of the shop owner said, “He is getting good number of customers and sale peaks during nights as many devotees prefer to visit Pandals after 7 pm.”
The Pandals at CR Park have turned into one of the most visited Durga Puja Pandals in Delhi. A relatively small puja has become popular for its traditional approach to celebrate the festival. “The eco-friendly puja is effectively contributing in developing environmental awareness among people. The puja this year with adoption of environment-friendly themes and practices has become different, said one of the organisers of Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samiti.
