The all-woman team gears up for Shantigram Durga Puja
Newzdaddy Religious Updates
Ahmedabad, 20 October: The Shantigram Bengali Cultural Association (SBCA) is all set to welcome Goddess Durga for the festivities and this time, an all-woman team is at the helm of the celebrations.
The Durga Puja will be held from 20-24 October near Shoppers’ Plaza, Shantigram, with each day packed with cultural programmes and competitions. The main priest and the dhakis are coming from West Bengal.
“This year, eight women from Shantigram are in the core organising committee of team SBCA,” said Sarbani Banerjee, president of the organising committee. “We have prepared a schedule for cultural events and along with musical and dance performances, there will be drawing contests, quiz, and drama. The rehearsals are on in full swing, and we are looking forward to the next few days,” she added.
The all-woman team is taking care of the entire event – from decorations to food arrangements and cultural events. Several stalls would be set up near the pandal, including food and book stalls.
Between October 20 and 23, the cultural programmes will start around 7.30 p.m. every day. On October 24 morning, sindoor khela will be organised, followed by the immersion procession.
“Dhak is an integral part of Durga Puja and almost synonymous with the festivities. Our dhakis are coming from West Bengal, especially for these few days. The artisan who has worked on our Durga idol is also from Bengal,” said treasurer Saswati Bhattacharjee.
The SBCA team organised its first Durgotsav in 2021. That year, around 45 families had actively taken part. The number grew to about 60 families in 2022 and this year, 100-odd families are organising the event.
“Every year, we celebrate the festival with a lot of enthusiasm. From children to the elderly, everyone takes part. Apart from food packets for participants of cultural programmes, we will be preparing bhog every day. Our estimate is that we will have around 250 people for each meal,” said Mithu Naskar, secretary of the organising committee.