The Puja is starting from September 25, but BCA will start celebrating the annual festival from September 24
The oldest Durga Puja in the state is 80-year-old. However, celebrating its anniversary this year, the Bengali Cultural Association (BCA) in Ahmedabad has decided to pre-pone the festivities by a day.
Considering that many people will miss out on the celebrations if the organizers arrange the prasad distribution and related programmes on weekdays, the committee has decided to advance the meet-ups.
The Puja is starting from September 25, but BCA will start celebrating the annual festival from September 24. The attraction of the first day will be Anandamela, a food festival where women will serve home-made food to the visitors. Besides the treat that will be sold at a very little price, the pandal-hoppers will also be a part of the musical event that will be held at the same venue.
Kanak Das Adhikary, Genearal Secretary of BCA, said, "The Puja dates this year is not falling on any Sunday. This is the main reason we thought to advance it. We don't want anybody to miss the celebration as we enter 80th year. There will be around 25 food stalls during the food festival."
Wrath of the rains:
For the first time, BCA has this year invested in creating two domes of 250 feet so that the Puja is not hampered by the rains. Genearal Secretary of BCA, Kanak Das Adhikary, said, "MeT has predicted rains during Navratri. As a precautionary measure, we are creating two huge domes to cover the area."
Tribute to city's heritage status
BCA has also roped in a master craftsman, Sanat Maity, who specializes in wood carving to create a unique entrance for the pandal. "The city has been awarded a heritage status. Hence, we are creating inscriptions, depicting the heritage of the city, depicting the heritage of the city on a wooden gate. The gate will be of 20 feet high and 40 feet wide."
ISKCON temple President visits Kalibari
Located on Rajpath Club-Sardar Patel Ring Road route, the Rs 2-crore temple complex on Tuesday also hosted Jasumati Nanda Prabhu, President, ISKCON temple said. Considering Tuesday auspicious, Kalibari held an Amavasya puja also.
In 2013, BCA had shifted its venue to the ground behind Doordarshan on Drive-In road. Owned by the Ahmedabad Education Society (AES), the ground was not been used for any event for 70 years.
This year too, the Durga idol is being prepared by Kolkata artisans, who came to the city to prepare the idol, which is estimated to be around 17-feet-high. According to tradition, the artisans fetch clay from the banks of the Ganges, on the day of Rath Yatra.
CULTURAL PROGRAMME:
Date-Day Pujo prog Cultural prog
- Sept 24 Anandamela – food festival, musical show
- Sept 25 Panchami Inauguration, children musical performance, dance recital
- Sept 26 Shashti Drama by BCA theatre group, singer Saptak Chaterjee
- Sept 27 Maha Saptami Children drama, Bengali folk song by a band in Kolkata
- Sept 28 Maha Ashtami Dance show by Kolkata triupe, song
- Sept 29 Maha Navami Comedy show by Mridul Bhattacharya, folk song
- Sept 30 Dashami (Sindoor Khela) Song by Anneswa Dutta
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