October 19th 2023.
The Bengali community of Bhopal is eagerly anticipating the start of Durga Puja on Friday at Kali Badi in the city. This year, the pandal at Kali Badi, South T T Nagar has been themed on 'Chandrayaan-3'. Around 35 women members, mostly homemakers of the Bengali Association, Bhopal are responsible for the decorations. They have used handmade items such as paper, bamboo, tea cups, clothes, and other materials to produce the lander and rover that stand at the main gate of the pandal and the astronauts.
The display also includes photographs related to Chandrayaan-3 and the Indian Space Research Organisation’s scientists team, particularly the women scientists who were associated with the mission. Photographs of renowned and old-age scientists including Varahaminra, Shailhotra, Sushruta, Charak, Bhaskar, Jagdish Chandra Boase, Satyendra Nath Bose, APJ Abdul Kalam, CV Raman, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Vikram Sarabhai, and Sir M Visvesvaraya have also been arranged.
Sujaya Ganguly, a member of the Bengali Association, expressed her pride and joy in celebrating Chandrayaan-3’s achievement. She said, “We have been preparing for it for the last month and we want to pay tribute to the entire team in this way.”
Salil Chatterjee, general secretary of the association, said that this year's Durga Puja celebration at TT Nagar Kali Badi will be held traditionally. Cultural activities, such as dance dramas, performances by singer Jyoti Sharma from Assam, and melodious instrumental songs by Saukat Khan and a troupe from Kolkata, will be conducted during the five-day festival.
Meeta Wadhwa, a member of Kai Badi, Danish Kunj Bridge, Bawadiya Kalan, said that they are hosting a Dhunchi dance competition from October 20-23 as part of Bong Fest Nights. “We want to promote the traditional dance of West Bengal which is especially presented during Durga Puja,” she said.
Ashim Banerjee, president of City Durga Utsav Committee, announced that Shahjahanabad City Durga Utsav Committee will be celebrating Durga Puja and Kali Puja at Sindhi Community Hall Judges Colony Idgah Hills. He said, “We have been organising Durga Puja for more than 50 years in the traditional way, and we want to continue this tradition. That’s why we shifted it to a new location.”
Padma Shri Gyan Chaturvedi, an eminent scholar and satirist, remarked that it is unfortunate that there are fewer satirists claiming the legacy of Harishanker Parsai. He said, “Parsai was a great writer and it is sad that his legacy is not being carried forward. We need more writers like him in India.”
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