Guwahati: Durga Puja is certainly one of the most celebrated festivals in Assam after Bihu. While the Mother Goddess is worshipped marking her victory over the demon king Mahisashura in all the pandals, the organisers of the Durga Puja Committees are also seen lighting up their pandals with a unique theme every year to create awareness about socially relevant issues.
The themes taken up by the Durga Puja venues in Assam this time are varied. While some puja pandals have raised the issue of insecurity among women depicting the infamous RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident in Kolkata, some pandals created awareness about the prominent books in Assamese literature. While Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore has become the theme in some puja pandals, it was the issue of awareness about one-horned rhinos that encouraged some puja organisers to light up their pandals. A pandal in Nagaon has decided to encourage youths to take up sports like boxing through the story of Assam's only Olympic medalist Lovelina Borgohain.
The Chatribari Devpujasthan in Guwahati themed their pandal after the infamous rape and murder case of RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata and highlighted not only the insecurity of women in the country, but also the pressing need to save the saviours--the doctors.
The pandal at Satribari is filled with paintings about the protest during the RG Kar Hospital where placards with the caption "SAVE THE SAVIOURS" could be seen. The pandals also have replicas of operation theatres, emergency units doctors, nurses and medical equipment to back up the theme. "We want to send a message that the doctors, nurses and the healthcare professionals need to be safe as they are the saviours," said Babul Rajbongshi of the Puja Committee at Chatribari. The organisers said that their budget for the decoration is Rs 10 lakhs this time.
The Clubs in the Maligaon area of Guwahati have been known for ages due to the decorations and unique themes they select for the Durga Puja. Keeping with the rich tradition, the Azad Hind Club of Maligaon this year have come up with selecting the replica of Grand Lisboa, the 47 floored and 261-metre-tall hotel in Macau. Like the original Grand Lisboa, the replica at the puja venue of Azad Hind Club is also made of glass and the organisers said that their budget is Rs 30 lakhs this time.
"This is for the first time that a pandal is made entirely with glass in Guwahati," said Biswas, secretary of the Puja Committee. The Puja Committee at Odalbakra area in Guwahati, on the other hand, focused the theme on the one-horned rhinos of Assam. The Puja Pandal at Odalbakra highlights the theme of "Save Rhino to save Kaziranga" as the one-horned rhinos in Assam had faced serious threats due to poaching.
The Kalibari Durga Puja Committee in Maligaon has themed their puja pandal around the harmonious coexistence of Assamese and Bengali literature. The decoration mainly focused on the depiction of Assamese and Bangla alphabets. The organisers also put up replicas of famous books written by celebrated authors from both languages like Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Lakshminath Bezbaruah. One can see the replicas of books like "Noukadubi" 'Geetanjali " and" Sahaj Path penned by Tagore. On the other hand books like "Burhi Aair Sadhu", Padum Kuwari and Kokadeuta Aru Nati Lora authored by Lakshminath Bezbaruah are lined up for the spectators and visitors.
The Dugdugu Durga Puja Committee at Ranthali in Nagaon on the other hand decided to put up a theme that can encourage the youngsters of the state to take up sports. "We are depicting life-size images of Olympic stars like Lovelina Borgohain, Neeraj Chopra and others who had brought in medals for the state and country from the Olympics. "We hope this will encourage the youngsters of the state to take up more sports as their career," said Utpal Bania, Organiser of the puja. (With inputs from Bhabesh Deka, Kulagita Saud and Rakibul Wahid)
Read more: Durga Puja 2024 decor: 5 Last Minute Tips To Transform Your Home With Little Changes
