Durga Puja festivities to light up the city

From themed decorations to magnificent idols, the city is all set to welcome Durga this Navratri.

Every year Jayamahal Palace witnesses an elaborate arrangement for Durga Pooja. Organized by the Jayamahal Durga Charitable Samithi, the pandal sees a footfall of several tens of thousands. Visitors can see a 13-feet high idol this year. A team of 17 artists from Kolkata will take at least 45 days to put together the show there.

In their 64th year this year, they will be displaying advancements in science and technology at their pandal, promises Bijon Majumder, President of the association.

"We had themes such as Jungle Book and Egyptian pyramids in the past. This time, it is about spaceship, aliens and the technology involved," he said.

Starting from October 14 till 19, the Durga Pooja here will host cultural events, festivities and a vast spread of food. Free food will also be distributed in the morning.

"We will be having 'Muktangan' where anyone come forward to sing. It is a concept taken from Kolkata which was popularised 20 years ago," he said.

In another pandal in Manyata Techpark Manpho Convention Centre, one will be able to see a replica of all the major monuments of Kolkata.

The Bengalee Association, Bengaluru proposes to give visitors a feel of the festival just as it is celebrated in Kolkata. One of the oldest Bengali associations in the City, this is the 69th year of their celebrations.

"This time our theme is Kolkata collage. Monuments that are symbolic of the city will be recreated. We will have on display the Howrah bridge, Victoria Memorial, Kali Mandir, and even the Handheld Rickshaw," said one of the members.

"We are expecting 3-4 lakh people this year. Various cultural programmes are lined up," said an organiser.

Food will be served for three days and children from the charitable trust will be brought in to relish the bhog. "The bhog will be served by children from the association. Anyone above three will serve the food," said the member.

With BBMP imposing a restriction on the height of the idols to 15 feet, they plan to get an 11-feet high idol made of clay and hay.