Memorable festivities

Shilpita Roy and Arnab Nandy list their top five Jagadhatri Pujas in Chandannagar

There wasn’t a drop of tear in their eyes nor were they looking sad as the festival of lights bid adieu, bringing a shade of gloom all over… Amazed? Well, you needn’t be…You too would have felt the same if you were here… We are talking about the historical town of Chandannagar, a place where the fun and frolic of festivities don’t come to an end with Kali Puja, rather get a fresh start soon after with the arrival of the “Saviour of the world”, Ma Jagadhatri.

With Jagadhatri Puja coming to an end now, here’s a detailed report of the top five pujas that stole the show, captured our attention and was appreciated both by us and the other pandal hoppers…

1. Sathgath Jagadhatri Puja Committee – Celebrating its 47th year, this puja committee put together an exquisite pandal made of varied materials of the coconut-the fruit, bark, leaves, et al. With a budget of just Rs 1 lakh, the committee members toiled for months without the help of any external decorators and created this masterpiece. Sathghat has aptly lived up to the theme of their puja this year “Creating something useful out of the useless”.
2. Charmandir tala Jagadhatri Puja Committee – This puja tried to bring rural Bengal to life at their pandal complex, and the effect was marvelous. Using fish nets, broom sticks, sails and bamboos, they put up a beautiful pandal that made one feel that one was actually celebrating the utsav in a jelepara. ‘Bhatiyali’ songs playing in the background added to the ambience.
3. Moran Road Sarbojanin Jagadhatri Puja Committee– On its 51st birthday, this puja committee used an assortment of pots, wires, kulos, paddy to bring alive the theme of “chena poth ochena madhyome”. It was indeed a perfect job by the decorators as the complex attracted huge crowd on all the four days of the puja and was appreciated by one and all.
4. Ambica Athletic Club – “Ami banshe bona, anondo ochena” (I am an unknown happiness knitted out of a bamboo) was the theme of this 40 year old puja committee. Other than portraying the exquisite human figurines structured out of a bamboo the committee also tried to support a social cause – the upliftment of rural industries through their pandal décor.
5. Gondalpara Mansatala– Quite an old puja committee of Chandannagar, this year their puja theme was based on the mythical story of “chaand saudagar”. The whole pandal was done up with the various parts of the banana tree, paddy, etc. The artistic talent of the decorators was visible in the wonderfully carved figurines as well.

The deities with the eloquent shaaj were grand as usual and the lightings displayed in different patterns and shapes did the task of turning the ‘once upon a time French colony’ into a paradise city for the four festive days.

[By Arnab Nandy, Shilpita Roy]