Themed pandals, cultural events to mark festivities

Ranchi: Prominent Kali Puja organising committees in the city have this year experimented with varied unique themes in their pandals as the festival is being organised with much enthusiasm and fanfare after two years of muted celebrations owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, several organisers have also opted for simple pandals owing to their limited funds. The Doranda Bazar Kali Puja Samiti, whose puja entered into its 72nd year, has built its pandal following the structure of Thailand’s Chiang Mai Silver Temple.
Raju Chourasia, president of the puja committee, said over Rs 25 lakh has been spent for this year’s pandal.
Likewise, the organisers of the Doranda Kali Puja Samiti on Kali Mandir Road have crafted their pandal based on the Rajasthani architecture. “We have not copied the model of any palace or temple this year, but picked up the architectural elements from several heritage Rajasthani buildings and incorporated those features in our pandal,” the committee’s president Shambhu Gupta told TOI.
The committee has spent nearly Rs 12 lakh for this year’s pandal, Gupta added.
Agradoot Club in Tharpakhna has given themed pandal a miss this year and set up their pandal with environment-friendly elements.
“Every year, we raise around Rs 10 lakh for Kali Puja, but this year, donations have been hard to come by because of heavy spending during Durga Puja. Also, the business communities and the residents are yet to come out fully of the adverse economic effects of pandemic-induced lockdown,” said Bishwajit Bhattacharya, president of the club.
Bhattacharya added that this year, the club has focused on spending more on preparation and distribution of bhog.
“Over 150-kg bhog will be distributed among devotees for three days, starting from Monday,” he added. Several clubs here are making this year’s puja a close-knit affair.