Durga Puja committees in Noida gear up for a grand festival after a two-year hiatus

Since full-scale celebrations are happening after a gap of two years, organisers have planned various events on the sidelines of the Durga Puja

After a lull of two years, Durga Puja committees of Noida are back in action, planning new themes and cultural events for some of the oldest pandals in the city. The celebrations will begin on October 1 and end on October 5, the day of Dashami.

Pandal preparations underway at Noida Kalibari in Sector 26 ahead of Durga Puja. (Sunil Ghosh/ HT)

The Noida Kalibari Durga Puja in Sector 26 is holding its 40th year of celebration this year.

“The last two years, Puja was done in a muted manner, because of the pandemic but, 2022 being our 40th year of the celebrations, we have planned a pandal that will be a replica of Belur Math temple, located at the banks of the Hooghly river in West Bengal. The idea behind the theme is to send out a message of preserving the heritage of India,” said Anupam Banerjee from Noida Kalibari, Sector 26.

Since full-scale celebrations are happening after a gap of two years, organisers have planned various events on the sidelines of the Durga Puja. “We will be hosting a food festival, ‘Anandomela’, on September 30 and will also have competitions for children and cultural events,” said Banerjee.

In Sector 25, Jal Vayuvihar Sanskriti Kalyan Samiti is celebrating Durga Puja for the 30th year. “Encouraged by the philanthropic work of the Ramakrishna Mission, the committee will try to exhibit one of the 141 Ramakrishna Mission Centres through its Durga Puja pandal this year,” said Jaya De, a member of the organising committee.

In addition to that, the Durga Puja pandal as well as the main idols will be made of eco-friendly material such as bamboo, cloth, and biodegradable colours, she said.

In Sector 61, the Balaka Puja committee is holding its 14th year of celebrations this year by paying tribute to Indian musicians who passed away in the last two years. “A gigantic structure called ‘a temple of music’ will be set up at the Durga Puja pandal to pay tribute to the luminaries of the cultural and music industry whom we lost to the pandemic over the last two years,” said Kalyan Raychaudhuri, secretary, Balaka Puja committee.

In Sector 100, the Lotus Boulevard sanskritik samiti (LBSS) will celebrate its sixth Durga Puja this year with five days packed fill with events for the 3,000 families of the high-rise society.

“After two years of low-key celebrations, the community members wanted to have a full-fledged Puja this year. While worshipping the goddess is at the centre of our celebration, we have carefully arranged a slew of events between October 1 and o 5 to showcase the culture of West Bengal,” said Kaustav Ghosh, secretary, LBSS.

Recitals, drama, dance drama, live band, quiz contest, painting, fashion show, dhunuchi dance (holding clay bowls filled with coconut husks and burning charcoal) are among the events planned around the puja, he said.