Indirapuram Durga Puja to showcase diversity in art forms

Indirapuram residents will see a blend of different cultures in this year’s Durga puja, as one of the puja organisers has invited residents from states other than West Bengal to showcase their music, arts, culture and tradition in the ‘pujo’ festival that starts October 6.

Prantic Cultural society of Indirapuram will be organising its ‘pujo festival’ with the theme ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday’, providing rural artists a platform to showcase their traditional arts and crafts. The society has been organising Durga puja for six years and will hold it adjacent to Shipra mall in Shipra Suncity, Indirapuram this time.

“Last year, various residents came to us and requested that they also want to celebrate the festival in their own way. As Durga puja is not limited just to Bengal, we decided to begin the festival from the fourth day of Pujo, that is, chaturthi. Residents will showcase the cultures of Orissa, Kerala, Punjab, Assam, Rajasthan, and Gujarat,” said Niladree Deb Chaudhary, general secretary, Prantic.

The cultural society will also be inviting folk artists from various states to perform on chaturthi.

Prantic Cultural society of Indirapuram will be organising its ‘pujo festival’ with the theme ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday’, providing rural artists a platform to showcase their traditional arts and crafts. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“We’ve heard a lot about folk songs of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Assam and we would also like to learn about other states’ cultures. The theme for the fourth day is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s words ‘Eibharater Mahamanaber Sagartire’, which salutes the unity in diversity that India possesses. We want to send the message that despite our cultural differences, our hearts beat only for India,” said Malay Majumder, chairman of the society.

“Durga puja is a cherished festival for us and we would surely love to join it. This is a welcome initiative,” said Pradip Parashar, an Indirapuram resident originally from Bihar.

On the remaining days of the festival, visitors will also get an opportunity to see the ‘Bengal Pat Katha’ art form in the pandal. Five artists from Kolkata have been preparing for the same for 20 days. Tapas Maity, a theme pooja art director from Kolkata, is beautifying the pandal with various portrait-based stories (pat katha form) from rural Bengal with his team of four artists and 13 workers.

“We want to depict various folklores from rural Bengal through pat katha where pictures will carry a story in themselves. The portraits will cover the entire pandal and would give it a mesmerizing feel. We have been working since we came to Ghaziabad on September 3,” said Maity.

Along with other cultural events such as song and dance shows and skits, Prantic society has also decided to hold an event where family members will walk the ramp with each other.

“In today’s nuclear family system, the gap between old and new generations has widened. Therefore, we have decided to organise a ramp walk where grandfather and grandson will hold hands and walk the ramp. Other family members will also walk the ramp similarly, showcasing the bond of love they share,” said SB Neogi, mentor, Prantic.