This was Saptarshi Sangha’s 20th Durga Puja ‘Sharadotsav’, and the Durga Puja pandal at Community Center, Sector 50, was a creation par excellence. It won the Best Pandal prize in the ‘Jago Durga 2024’ competition. Prosad Roy and Mrs Gitasri Roy from The Crescent (C101), who have been actively associated with Saptrishi Sangha, spoke on their experiences. “We always wanted the Puja to look and feel very Bengali, not fancy or expensive, but something that is very warm and welcoming.”
Pandal design was conceptualized by their art director Somnath Dutta. The spacious Matri-Mandir was recreated in the open courtyard, and the panels of artwork along the side walls depicted the Nava Durga which had the nine avatars of Goddess Durga, the Adi Shakti. Each of the nine avatars of Maa Durga teaches us important life lessons and value of austerity, bravery, courage, goodness, piety, righteousness, sacrifice, and the constant ideological battle of good versus evil. The decorative embellishments of aesthetic folk art, artifacts and décor of rural Bengal, including decorative hand-fans, “Alpona” motifs were all hand painted by the lady members, inspired by Bengal’s Kalighat folk paintings, Maharashtra’s Warli folk art, Mandala art and Bihar’s Madhubani art, all of which created a fabulous montage of our rich cultural ethos and artistic heritage.
Mrs. Gitasri exclaimed, “We had immense pleasure and passion over a period of 3-4 weeks while making these paintings and creating these artifacts. Every evening, we would sit to make them with great fun, munching snacks and enjoying tea.” Mr Prosad added, “While others fast on festivals, we Bengalis feast! That is why we had variety of food stalls, with many known brands serving authentic Bengali food.” There were many games and fabric stalls also. There was a large stage for live cultural program of dance and drama in the evening.
Durga Puja is a celebration of home- coming of Goddess Durga with her four children: Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati, and Lord Ganesha and Kartika to her “baaperbari” (home). While close to Bengali culture, Durga Puja has now cut across the local barriers and become a part of the soul of India, which was clearly evident in the Pandal, leaving an indelible mark of culture, traditions and memories for the residents.
