Durga Puja donations are being used to finance social initiatives

From Saturday, residents of Govandi can avail of free health camps for five days, courtesy the organisers of the Chembur Durga Puja Association. Mugdha Variyar and Abhishek Desai report.

From Saturday, residents of Govandi can avail of free health camps for five days, courtesy the organisers of the Chembur Durga Puja Association.

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With Durga Puja celebrations slated to begin on Saturday, people have more to look forward to apart from the festive celebrations, as several organisers make donations towards different social causes and activities through the festival.

“We get about Rs 6 lakh, as donations from devotees, which is directed towards various social causes,” said Surojit Lodh, from the Chembur Durga Pooja Association.

The Notunpalli Sarbojonin Durgotsab Committee, which organises a durga puja every year in Bandra, plans to donate Rs 2.5 lakh to the Ramkrishna Mission Hospital this year. “We keep our donations transparent and hence have auditors to check on our charity,” said general secretary MC Banerjee.

For the Bombay Durga Bari Samiti charity work ranges from relief funds for floods, earthquakes and other natural calamities to cancer societies and medical association for the mentally challenged.

“Our primary focus is on education,” said Chandan Bhattacharjee, chairman of the socio-cultural wing of the samiti. Beneficiaries claimed such contributions were helpful. “We appreciate that a few durga puja organisers regularly contribute towards our work,” said MK Guha, member of the Ramkrishna Mission, which also conducts durga puja every year.