Chandrayaan-themed Ganesh pandals big draw in Kolkata

With just two days left for the much-awaited Ganesh Puja, it's rush-hour for artisans across the city as they give final touches to the idols.

Those who have completed the idols are getting ready to ship it to various clubs and pandals.

The trend of organising Ganesh Pujas has been on the rise in Kolkata for a few years and of late, theme-based celebrations are becoming a big draw. One of the most sought-after themes this year is Chandrayaan-3, India’s successful mission to the moon.

A model of the Chandrayaan rocket has been placed atop the pandal in Salt Lake’s BB Block puja organised by Sree Sree Ganesh Chaturthi Mahotsav. Inside the pandal, a Ganesh idol adorns a stage in front of a huge photograph of the moon's surface with the earth seen at a distance.

Pictures of lander Vikram and rover Pragyan have also used to decorate the background to give pandal hoppers a feeling that Lord Ganesh is sitting on a throne on the surface of the moon, committee president Anindya Chatterjee told PTI.

A voiceover commentary every 30 minutes on the public address system will recreate the countdown of Chandrayaan's journey to the moon. To give it a real feel, smoke will emanate from the rocket’s thrusters placed on top of the pandal. The theme of the celebration is 'Pari Dite Pari' (we can undertake the voyage).

The committee has been organising Ganesh festival for the last 14 years and is known to be the oldest in the satellite township.

"This year, our Ganesh puja is dedicated to team ISRO that successfully launched and guided Chandrayaan-3 to land near the south pole of moon on August 23," he said.

A puja committee near VIP Road in Baguiati has also chosen to showcase ISRO’s feat through their Ganesh puja pandal.

At the Executive Palace complex in the city’s north-eastern fringes, a five-foot tall idol with images of the lunar surface and Indian flags planted on the moon’s surface will greet the devotees.

A model of the rocket and a model of lander Vikram will be placed on one side of the idol, said Ankit Agarwal, an organiser of the puja.

Images of different stars and planets as seen at night will be on display also. Blue LED lamps with multimedia images of the moon will light up the pandal, he said.

"On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, we will pay our tributes to ISRO. Our theme will be Chandrayaan-3 as the mission is a historic achievement for India," Agarwal added.

The organisers of Parnasree Pally Ganesh Puja in south Kolkata has opted for a traditional pandal and idol, Joydip Raha, a member of the committee, said.

Abhishek Das, a member of Muraripukur Ganesh Puja Committee in North Kolkata, said they are celebrating the puja in a big way but there is no specific theme.

Another Puja committee in Baishakhi area of Salt Lake has built a replica of the famous Karni Mata Mandir in Rajasthan’s Bikaner that has thousands of rats. The members of the puja committee have placed two idols in the marquee – Lord Ganesh and Lord Vishnu inside the pandal.

"While Ganesh is the god of prosperity, Vishnu is the saviour. We are praying to both to give us prosperity and save us from various negative forces around us," said Anita Mondal, one of the organisers of the puja.