SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Sept 26: The state capital Ranchi seems to be making up for not being able to celebrate the Durga Puja for the past two years due to the pandemic. All puja committees in the city are busy in preparations in full swing. Grand pandals are being built in different areas in the capital.
As per information, more than 310 puja pandals are being built in Ranchi this year. Artisans from different states including Bengal have been called to prepare the Puja pandals. The artisans notably, have set a target to prepare pandals till the fourth day (Chaturthi) of Durga Puja.
Several pandals will be made under different themes this year. These include the pandal made every year at the Ranchi Railway Station by the Ranchi Railway Station Durga Puja Committee. This year the pandal will be completing 75 years and will be celebrating the puja as ‘Amrit Durgotsav’.
- The pandal itself is to be made in the shape of a mushroom. The pandal will have a 16-feet high statue of Goddess Durga riding on a buffalo. The construction of the pandal and other idols including Maa Durga is being done by the artists of Kolkata. The committee aims to make an eco-friendly pandal from firewood and tree bark. This pandal is to be 25 feet long, 50 feet wide and 120 feet tall.
- The Bakri Bazar Durga Puja committee is making a pandal in the form of an ISKCON temple at Mayapur in West Bengal. The artisans engaged in the construction of the Puja pandal are busy with the final changes. The width of this pandal is 130 feet, length and height are 90 feet. As per an estimate, around Rs 60 lakh rupees are being spent on the construction of said pandal.
- The Harmu Panch Mandir Durga Puja Committee, on the other hand, is making a pandal using imagination. The pandal will be focusing on showcasing games that were played earlier but are now vanishing as children get involved with phones and tablets. The pandal will also showcase games like Gilli-danda, rope jumping, badminton, cricket and other sports will be displayed as figurines above the pandal. The decoration inside the pandal will be done in a similar fashion. As per committee members, a total of Rs 50 lakh is being spent on the entire event.
- Odam is a tribal word which means memory fruit or memory city. It was used by the people of the tribal community. This year, the RR Sporting Club is set to showcase this artefact as a pandal. The pandal itself is made of natural materials such as wood, straw, and leaves and will depict many types of animals. The pandal décor is to follow the Jal Jungle Zameen concept to depict the culture of Jharkhand.
- Meanwhile, Rajasthani art and culture will be showcased in the pandal of Shri Shri Bandhgadi Durga Puja Committee (Booty More). Here the pandal is being constructed in golden colour. In this, a glimpse of the local dresses, and the lifestyle of the people there will be seen. The development of the villages of Rajasthan will also be showcased, as well as the idols of other gods and goddesses including Maa Durga will also be seen in traditional Rajasthani costumes. The committee is spending around Rs 25 lakh on the entire event. Here the Dandiya dance of Gujarat will also attract the devotees, which will be shown with the help of moving idols inside and outside the pandal.
- The Mahashakti Durga Puja Committee at Shivaji Chowk, Booty More is constructing a pandal on the theme of Sheesh Mahal this year. The statue of the Goddess itself will also look like a mirror. Devotees will have to climb a 12 feet high ladder to enter the mandap. A total of Rs 35 lakhs will be spent on the entire event. According to the committee, the inauguration of the pandal will take place on September 29 and the idol immersion will take place on October 7.
Apart from this, OCC Club in the capital, Netaji Nagar Durga Puja Committee in Kantatoli, Rajasthan Mitra Mandal, Chandrashekhar Azad Durga Puja Committee located on Main Road, Satya Amar Lok in Marwari Bhawan at Harmu Road and the pandals of Badgai Durga Puja Committee will also be a centre of attraction in the city.
