Puja perfect and secure

Following actor Bipasha Basu’s reported unpleasant experience with the crowd at the Durga puja pandal last year,  actor Rani Mukerji’s family is leaving no stone unturned to cordon the place with a strong security for their Durga puja celebrations this year. The celebrations with DNA, as the organising partner (for the fourth year), begin on October 13.

“The cultural events have an audience of over 4000 comprising of the crème-de-la-crème of Mumbai, which include non-Bengalis. We are expecting an excess of three lakh footfalls during the four-day event this year,” says an organising member of the The North Bombay Sarbajanin Durga Puja Charitable Trust & DNA Durgotsav 2010.

Elaborating on the security arrangements of the pandal at All-India Balkanji-Bari Compound, Santa Cruz, the organizer revealed, “A multi-tier security will be in place at the pandal with an exclusive VIP enclosure. We are expecting celebs like Jaya Bachchan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Kajol, Sushmita Sen, Bappi Lahiri, Ashutosh Gowarikar etc.”

Debu Mukherjee, Secretary, DNA Durgotsav says, “This year we plan to invite the corporate honchos and therefore our security planning has gained further importance. We plan to hire 50 security staff in each of the three shifts to control and monitor the vi

We have been distributing identity cards to the sponsors with proper identification so that we have a control on the sponsor officials who will be engaged in promotional activities in the premises.”

The décor of the puja pandal will be based on Rabindranath Tagore's works since it is his 150th birth anniversary. The entire pandal will be decorated with replicas of his paintings. “The area where the cultural functions will be held will be fully air-conditioned. There'll be performances by Bhoomi (a leading Bengali band), Alka Yagnik, Pritam and his band and Sonu Niigam,” informs the organiser.