Kolkata: Durga Puja is not just a festival but is an emotion for all the Bengalis not just living in West Bengal but across the globe.
After two years of dying situation due to the pandemic, Bengalis are gearing up to utilize the most of the festivities.
Especially after UNESCO had given a heritage tag to Bengal’s Durga Puja, Bengali cannot ‘wait’ to start the merrymaking that too when the Puja is just a month and a half away.
Ferrying of fibre Durga idols to other countries from Kolkata’s Kumartuli is not new but ferrying of ‘theme’ pandals seems to be something new after the heritage tag.
A Bengali community had reportedly ordered a theme pandal from Kolkata and designer Sandip Mukherjee, who is making seven theme pandals is likely to send the biggest pandal with the theme ‘Shaktirupeno Sangstita’ to California.
It has been learnt that the 18-feet long pandal will in parts will go to California through flight and the designer himself over video calling will help in installing the makeshift marquee.
After the designer was contacted through social media it has been an extremely busy schedule for the designer as within early September the makeshift marquee will be sent to California in pieces.
Meanwhile, several durga idols have already left for the US and UK, now last minute preparations are being done to dispatch the rest of the idols.
Artist Mintu Pal this year had an order to make 11 idols out of which five have already been sent to the US.
“After two years we have seen a good number of orders of idols being sent outside India. Five idols have already been sent to the US. One idol is ready to be sent to Dubai and last-minute preparations are being taken for idols which will be sent to New York and Chicago,” mentioned the clay artist.
It can be recalled that even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had several times stated that this year it will be a ‘grand’ Durga Puja celebration after getting the UNESCO heritage tag.
