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Chant by Pranab Mukherjee to play at this Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata
Pranab Mukherjee had almost memorised the entire Chandi Path as he used to chant it while performing the Puja at his ancestral home.
A puja committee in Kolkata would be playing the recordings of Chandi Path, the 700 slokas about Goddess Durga’s destruction of the demons, which the former President, Pranab Mukherjee, used to chant while performing the Puja at his ancestral home every year. Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday, had developed a lung infection at the Army’s Research and Referral hospital in Delhi, where he was admitted for brain surgery. He had also tested positive for coronavirus.
“He [Pranab Mukherjee] had almost memorised the entire Chandi as he used to chant it every day the first thing in the morning. So while performing the Durga Puja at his ancestral home he could chant it without referring to any scriptures,” said Rabi Chattoraj, who shares a very close and cordial relation with the Muherjee family.
Chandi Path, the recitation of 700 powerful slokas of ‘Durga Saptashati’ from Markandeya Purana, is an ode to Goddess Durga.
Organisers of the Arvind Setu Sarbajanin Durgotsav Samity said that this time they decided to pay tribute to Mukherjee and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The puja committee is celebrating their 44th year.
“The theme of our puja this year would be Satyajit Ray’s film Pather Panchali. Paying tribute to the former President, we would be playing the Chandi which Mukherjee used to chant. We are trying to procure the recordings and have already got in touch with a few persons,” said Mintu Patra, media coordinator of the committee.
