Its Durga Puja once more! As Bengalis and others celebrate the homecoming of the goddess in pandals big and small with themes fanciful and humble, some here have opted to go back to their roots this festive season.
Several pandals in Delhi-NCR this year have taken the road home, to rejoice all things Bong, from the red soil of Birbhum to Kolkatas iconic Prinsep Ghat on the banks of the Hooghly.
The Maruti Vihar Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee (MVSDC) in Sector 29 Gurgaon has recreated the earthy colours of Bengal, with the theme of 'Chalo Jai Ranga Matir Deshe'.
The organisers hope to dispel the Kolkata-centric view of Bengal through the pandal.
"We have selected some of the most prominent rural segments of Bengal, particularly the 'ranga mati', or red soiled areas, like Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore, to showcase their rich art and culture," said Rabin Chakraborty, general secretary of the committee.
The pandal will have artists giving live demonstrations of art forms such as potoshilpo' from Purulia and terracotta art from Bankura. And, to complete the experience, there will be Baul singers from the region.
"We hope the promotion will generate wider interest and help promote tourism in these places. The items on display will also be up for sale for the benefit of the artisans," said committee president Swapan Sarkar.
Puja committees in Delhis Chittaranjan Park, the quintessential Bengali colony often known as mini-Kolkata, usually go the extra mile to create unique pandals.
But, for their 42nd Puja celebrations, B-Block, C R Park, has decided to keep it simple.
One of the biggest Pujas in Delhi in terms of space, B- Block is going back to the roots, with a traditional idol in 'Daker saaj'.
"We feel it's important to go back to being simple; it helps us to connect with our roots," said Sayan Acharya, executive member of the Puja committee.
The pandal in Chittaranjan Parks Pocket-40 is recreating Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
The Bangiya Parishad in Gurgaon has recreated Kolkata's iconic Prinsep Ghat for its 12th Puja celebrations, replicating the Palladian architecture of the 1841 monument on the ghat.
The pandal also boasts of one of the tallest idols of Goddess Durga in the region, made by West Bengal-based artisans who put up their unit in Mehrauli here.
The idol measures over 18 feet in height, said Arnab Bhattacharya from the committee.
Talking about the festive fervour outside of Bengal, Bhattacharya said, "Though the theme and pandals and the scale is as large as some in Kolkata, the level of inter-personal engagement is much higher in probashi Pujas."
While many have chosen to go the traditional route, several pandals in the region are exploring contemporary concerns such as communal harmony and womens empowerment.
The Arambagh Puja, for instance, focuses on communal harmony and the battle against racism, and the Matri Mandir Puja Samiti is looking at womens empowerment.
At Arambagh, there is a huge 40-foot artwork showing Mahisasur, the demon king, above a collage of a temple, a mosque, a church, a gurudwara and a lotus temple. The Mahisasur is handsome, defying the traditional image of a dark-skinned demon.
"India is a country which celebrates unity in diversity. Mahisasur is trying to disturb the communal harmony, but Durga has overpowered him.
"We have a tendency to connote ugly with evil, whereas that is not the case. Evil can be anywhere and in any form. So through a handsome Mahisasur we are trying to convey a message against racism," said Abhijit Bose, executive chairman of Arambagh Puja.
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