In this year’s Durga Pujas, Kolkata’s own Kalighat girl is the busiest star of them all. Soaking herself in the festive spirit Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been travelling the length and breadth of Kolkata inaugurating Pujas one after the other from Ahiritola in North Kolkata to Santoshpur in far South.
Banerjee who is also a painter of class has written the Theme Song of famous Durga Pujas like Suruchi Sangha organised among others by powerful State Minister Arup Biswas.
“I know it is a tedious job to go around the city inaugurating Pujas after your official engagements but this is the only way I can return the love and affection the people bestow on me,” says the Chief Minister succumbing to the wishes of the Puja organisers most of whom are Kolkata’s political glitterati.
“Didi is inaugurating at least 50 big-budget Pujas this time round,” says a close associate adding the Chief Minister has no dearth of ideas when it comes to mixing social activity with spiritual fervor.
For instance “I have asked the bigger Pujas to contribute whatever they can to the smaller ones so that no one is left out in this festive season.” It is another matter however, that Didi’s suggestion is linked to the growing scuffle among the organizers over the share of revenue generated through sponsors’ contribution running into several hundred crores.
“This speaks immensely of her mediating skills. She can defuse tensions among the followers in moments.”
On the traffic snarls triggered by her entourage Banerjee says while inaugurating Tridhara Sanmilani another big-ticket Puja organized by a local Mayor-in-council Debashis Kumar, “I know how streets of Kolkata is flooded 24x7 by crores of people during the Puja days. If I go pandal hopping things will be more difficult then. So I am covering the pandals well in advance.”
Among the big-budget Pujas Banerjee has inaugurated Chetla Agrani organized by Minister Bobby Hakim, Tridhara Sanmilani, Ballygunge Cultural, Singhi Park, and Ekdalia Evergreen patroned by Minister Subrato Mukherjee.