Tag: Kolkata Durga Puja

Maintain peace and harmony during Puja: Bengal CM

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday gave a message to the people of the state urging to maintain peace and harmony during Durga Puja and Muharram. She also directed puja organisers to follow all norms to ensure safety of pandal hoppers and extended all sort of support for conducting their Puja.

The Chief Minister was speaking at an administrative and co-ordination meeting for conducting Durga Puja, Id-Ul-Zoha and Muharram smoothly.

She said: “There are some people who try to create trouble. Thus, I would like to urge people from all communities, clubs and youngsters to ensure peace and harmony during Durga Puja and Muharram. There are the brothers and sisters of Bengal to stop if they find anyone trying to play a spoilsport.”

“There are certain guidelines that are to be followed this time as well as Durga Puja and Muharram is at the same time. Like previous year, this year too immersion of Goddesses Durga and her entourage will take place on the mentioned dates.

For the first time, this year on October 14, idols of award winning Durga Puja will be passing in a procession while heading for immersion through Red Road with people watching from makeshift galleries to be set up on both sides of the road.

Chief Minister also launched the online based single window system to secure permission for organising Durga Puja. The online based system has been named ‘Aasan’ and puja orgnaisers just need to log into the website of the Kolkata Police to apply for permission.

Chief Minister directed the district police to introduce the same in their jurisdiction.

 

পুজোর সময় শান্তি ও সম্প্রীতি বজায় রাখুন: মুখ্যমন্ত্রী

মঙ্গলবার নেতাজি ইন্ডোর স্টেডিয়ামে পুজো উদ্যোক্তাদের নিয়ে বৈঠক করলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দোপাধ্যায়৷ দুর্গাপুজোয় সাধারণ মানুষের সুরক্ষার কথা ভেবে এবং মহরম এবং বিজয়া দশমী সুশৃঙ্খলভাবে পালন করার জন্য বেশ কিছু নির্দেশ দেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী৷ পাশাপাশি তিনি পূজার আয়োজক ও কর্তৃপক্ষদের মণ্ডপ এর নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত করার জন্য সব নিয়ম অনুসরণ করারও নির্দেশ দিয়েছেন।

মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর নির্দেশাবলীঃ 

  • সিঙ্গল উইনডো সিস্টেমে অনলাইনে পুজোর জন্য আবেদনপত্র পূরণ করে অনুমতিপত্র পাওয়ার ব্যবস্থা করল কলকাতা পুলিশ৷ ১৪ সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে ‘আসান’ নামে এই প্রক্রিয়া শুরু করবে তারা৷ রাজ্যজুড়ে সেই পদ্ধতিতেই পুলিশ অনুমতি দেবে পুজো কমিটিগুলিকে৷
  • কলকাতা পুরসভা পুজোর বিজ্ঞাপনের টাকা নেয় না৷ রাজ্যের অন্য পুরসভাগুলিও সেই বিজ্ঞাপনের টাকা নেবে না৷
  • বিদ্যুতের খরচবাবদ সিইএসসির থেকে এবার ১৮ শতাংশ ছাড় পাবে পুজো কমিটি গুলি৷
  • মহিলা পরিচালিত ২৫টি ক্লাব ও গরিব ২৫টি পুজোকমিটিকে ১০ হাজার টাকা করে অনুদান দেবে সরকার৷
  • কলকাতা পুরসভা ১০০টি মহিলা ক্লাব ও ১০০টি গরিব ক্লাবকে ১০ হাজার টাকা করে অনুদান দেবে৷
  • কলকাতার বড় ক্লাবগুলি ছোট ক্লাবগুলিকে আর্থিক অনুদান দিয়ে সাহায্য করবে৷
  • পুজো করতে গিয়ে মাঠ পাওয়ার সমস্যা থেকে শুরু করে চেকবিলি নিয়ে যাবতীয় গোলমাল মেটাবেন স্থানীয় মন্ত্রী, সাংসদ, বিধায়করা৷
  • পুজোমণ্ডপের গেট চওড়া করতে হবে৷ পার্কে পুজো হলে পার্কের সব ক’টি গেট খোলা রাখতে হবে যাতে কোনওরকম দুর্ঘটনা না ঘটে৷
  • দমকল, অ্যাম্বুল্যান্স ঢোকার জন্য পর্যাপ্ত জায়গা রাখতে হবে৷
  • মণ্ডপে ভিড় সামলাতে মোড়া দড়ি, বড় টর্চ মাইক্রোফোন রাখতে হবে৷
  • রাত জেগে পাহারার ব্যবস্থা রাখুন৷
  • রাজ্যের ‘বাংলা’ নামকে সর্বত্র প্রচারে আনতে হবে৷
  • সুস্থ ট্রাফিক ব্যবস্থা গড়ে তুলতে সেফ ড্রাইভ সেভ লাইফের প্রচার করতে হবে৷
  • ১১ অক্টোবর দশমী৷ বিকেল ৪ টের মধ্যে বাড়ি ও ছোট পুজোগুলির বিসর্জন দিয়ে দিতে হবে৷ তার পর বেরোবে মহরমের মিছিল৷ যদি একইসঙ্গে বিসর্জন ও মহরমের যাত্রা যাতে সুশৃঙ্খলভাবে বেরোয়, তা দেখবে পুলিশ৷
  • ১২ অক্টোবর একাদশী৷ ওই দিন মহরমও৷ ফলে ওই দিন কোনও বিসর্জন হবে না৷ পরদিন থেকে আবার হবে বিসর্জন৷ কোন পুজো কমিটি তাদের প্রতিমা কোথায় বিসর্জন দেবে, তা ঠিক করবে পুলিশ৷

 

 

Republic Day like Puja procession from next year, proposes CM

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How about watching Durga Puja processions from Red Road, on the same lines of the Republic Day parade? This is exactly what Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has in mind.

She shared the idea with the audience at Nazrul Mancha on Thursday . The occasion: the Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman awards ceremony .

“Next year onwards, we shall have all winners of the Sharad Samman have their idol immersion on the same day. They will line up in processions along Red Road, and we could have everyone watching from the stands like they watch the Republic Day programme,” the Chief Minister said while giving out the awards at Nazrul Mancha.

The idea struck the Chief Minister while watching the Jagadhhatri puja immersions at Chandernagore.

Mamata Banerjee said plans had already been discussed and would be executed next year. Since last year, after creating Bengal’s very own brand ‘Biswa Bangla’, the state government christened the awards as Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman, expanding the ambit of the accolades to foreign shores.

This year, the Houston Durgastav Society , USA, Bong Connection, Dubai, and the Mahamaya Durgapuja Ujjapan Parishad, Bangladesh, won from this category .

The Chief Minister said a data bank of the winners will be created and the puja organisers from other states and countries will be invited to participate in key events in the state, like the film festival and the book fair.

Mamata Banerjee also made the government’s intentions of hardselling Bengal’s handloom and handicrafts across the world. “Just wait and see where we take Biswa Bangla to. It will be one of the best brands on the world forum,” she said.

Environment-friendly immersions in Kolkata after Durga Puja

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It was a beautiful sight at Hooghly – on the east bank at Baje Kadamtala Ghat. It was height of environment friendly immersion. Festivities continued on immersion day in Kolkata without polluting the river, thus obeying the norms laid down by the Calcutta High Court.

At Baje Kadamtala Ghat, a Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) floating crane was working overtime to pick-up the idols before they get fully dipped. There was a host of dedicated KMC employees, segregating -recyclable and non-recyclable materials for final disposal.

Even a score of foreign tourists, who were busy clicking the “amazing sights,” were impressed by the efforts to keep the river clean. “It is indeed magical sights and sounds. The efforts of the civic body to save the river are appreciable,” said Arnold Smith, a tourist from Amsterdam, who came to city to experience the festivity.

Immersions are conducted in Kolkata in the presence of a crane mounted on a barge on the Hooghly, two other cranes on the banks of the river, four pay loaders and a full team of Kolkata Municipal Corporation on each of the 13 most-visited ghats.

Foreign bloggers and travel writers soak in four-day festive spirit

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They came not knowing what to expect. They returned overwhelmed.Travel writers, bloggers and documentary filmmakers from United States, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal and Argentina, arrived in Kolkata on the eve of Durga Puja and experienced all facets of the festival during their week-long stay.

From watching artisans craft clay idols to observing artists create gigantic pandals on streets, soaking in the festive spirit to watching the immersion of the idols, the group of 26 was privy to the many shades of one of India’s biggest festivals.

Soaking in the festivities

“That a festival celebrated on such a grand scale is still relatively unknown to the west is unthinkable. I believe Durga Puja can attract hordes of western visitors because it is a truly unique experience, very different from what one can experience back home,“ said Dominick A Merle, co-founder of International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association and International Travel Writers Alliance. Merle intends to write about Durga Puja when he is back home, so the world knows what it has been missing.

French journalist and travel writer Julie Olagnol is convinced Durga Puja can become one of the biggest attractions for western tourists. “In my home town Lyon, we have a light festival for four days in December. I remember how it was a small affair when I was a child and how it evolved into a huge event that now attracts tourists from all over the world. I believe that it will be the same for Durga Puja, maybe even bigger, because this seems to be the world’s biggest open art gallery ,“ she said.

A unique experience

The team that did rounds of several Pujas, including Sovabazar Rajbari, loved the intricate artwork at 41 Palli and found the girl child theme at Kashi Bose Lane the most interesting. If the variety of art and craft on display impressed them, it was the spirit of the people that took their breath away .

“Apart from the religious and spiritual meaning that the festival holds for Bengalis, Durga Puja appears to bring people together. During a previous visit to the city, I had stayed with a Muslim family and they told me how much Durga Puja meant to them. They didn’t follow the religion, but contributed to it in a myriad ways. I learned that thousands earn their livelihood from crafting the decorations, which at times take up to a year,“ said Olagnol.

Wowed by Kolkata’s spirit

Merle too was struck by the harmony during the festival. “Durga Puga, I discovered, is a religious festival with added parts of party, passion and peace, where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews and even atheists can put aside their differences for four days of festivities,“ he said.

Among his unforgettable moments were visiting the Dominique Lapierre Home for handicapped, abused, abandoned or lost children and watching them perform at their own Puja and seeing a rickshaw-puller tie his vehicle to a pole and join a long queue to a pandal.

The immersion touched a chord with Olagnol. “I’ve realized what ephemeral means. People were sad after the end of the festival, in which they had put in so much work. Yet all of this will return next year with even greater vigour and splendour,“ she added.

Mamata Banerjee inaugurates several Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee travelled far and wide, mapping the length and breadth of Kolkata, inaugurating Durga Puja pandals across the City of Joy.

Soaking herself in the festive spirit, she travelled from the eastern fringes to the southern corners, covering Baghbazar to Santoshpur, Kasba to New Alipore. Everywhere she went, she mingled with the crowd, greeted everyone and chanted the Durgastotram.

The Bengal Chief Minister, who is also a painter, began her inaugurations at Chetla Agrani Club on the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya.

The Chief Minister has also designed the cover of the Puja edition of the party mouthpiece Jago Bangla.

KMC and Kolkata Police gear up for Durga Puja immersions

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Elaborate security arrangements by Kolkata police as well as civic authorities are in place at various ghats of the river Hooghly to ensure that the immersion of Durga idols passes off peacefully.

Officers of the Kolkata Police are manning the riverfront to prevent onlookers from getting too close to the river. Special vigil is being maintained from a watch tower near the ghat.

Cranes have been deployed at certain ghats to lift and extricate the remains of idols from the river to avoid pollution.

Additional lights have been put up at the immersion ghats and the flowers, levers and metallic weapons are being dumped in separate vats to avoid polluting the river.

Other than maintaining law and order during immersion, the teams of river police and disaster management groups patrolling the Hooghly river. Closed-circuit television cameras have been installed at certain ghats.

Biswa Bangla Sharod Samman by WB Govt adds colours the Pujas

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On the occasion of Durga Puja, the Government of West Bengal has come up with a unique initiative – Biswa Bangla Sharod Samman. This is the second year. This initiative aims to nominate and reward the best Pujas.

Biswa Bangla Sharod Samman will hold in its purview not only the pujas of Kolkata and Bengal but also of other Indian cities and foreign countries where Bengalis celebrate the autumn fest with equal mirth and enthusiasm.

Last year, the foreign entries included those from New York, London, Chicago, Toronto, Singapore, Sydney and Bahrain. Four entries from London, three from Singapore and two from Dhaka were added the competition n the foreign section.

Last year, the pan-India entries included those from Nabi Mumbai Bengali Association, Srinibaspuri Puja Committee from New Delhi, Maruti Vihar Puja Committee from Kalapakkam, Rabindra Palli Puja Committee from Faizabad in Lucknow, Chhatrabondhu Club from Agartala and from other states.

The awards for pujas in Kolkata and the districts will be declared on Saptami.

 

Categories for Kolkata:

Sherar Shera

Shera Protima

Shera Mondop

Shera Bhabna

Shera Alok Shojja

Shera Poribesh Bandhab

Shera Abishkar

Shera Aboho

Shera Shilpi

Shera Dhakeshari

Shera Biswa Bangla Branding

Kolkata includes Kolkata Municipal Corporation areas, South Dum Dum Municipality, Baranagore Municipality, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

Categories for Rest of Bengal (for 19 districts):

Shera Pujo

Shera Protima

Shera Mondop

Rest of India : Best Pujas across India will be awarded

Rest of World : Best Pujas across the world will be awarded

WB CM appeals for communal harmony during Durga Puja

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West Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee appealed for maintaining communal harmony on Thursday. She was speaking during the inauguration of a Durga Puja Mandap at Ballygunge Cultural Association.

The Chief Minister has been inaugurating several Durga Puja pandals since Mahalaya. On Thursday she posted a Facebook posted with pictures of the inauguration.

She also appealed to Puja organisers seeking their cooperation in maintaining law and order. She said Maa Durga belongs to all.

Didi went to several mandaps in south Kolkata on Thursday; people turned up in large numbers to have a glimpse of Didi along with Maa Durga.