Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Kakurgachhi Progressive Youth Association is busy to create the puja pandal where the idol of goddess Durga would be established inside a burning fireball. The 21 feet long flames of this fireball would be there at the top of pandal. And the most amazing part of this puja is that, various utensils ate being used to create the theme. Theme-maker Anirban Das. Ma Durga is the symbol of woman power, so, common household utensils are being used here. Even, the idols of various gods would be made of utensils . The pandal will be of two storied. Water and lotus forest would be at first floor. Eight nos of snakes will decorate the railings of staircases, all of them are of 30-35 feet long. The goddess Durga is 'Ranachandi' here, because, this image was depicted as 'Mahisasurmardini'. The puja is 48 year's old. A. B.

Uttam Kumar was fond of delicious spicy foods like prawn malaikari, kaju chicken, chingri macher paturi, palang paneer kofta, bhetkir kanta chachari, mangser do-peaji, sagar doi, doi ilish... Chef Sushanta Sengupta is there at 6 Ballygunge Place till 16 September with these favourite dishes of Uttam Kumar for you. Price Rs 20/- to 750/-. -- A. B.

At last, Tolge in Mohun Bagan and Mohun Bagan defeated George Telegraph. Bagan 3, George 0 and the Mohun Bagan supporters witnessed football of pace, strikes and blend of intelligence in Tolge's play. Odafa has also played very well yesterday. -- A. B.

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Yesterday, 'Kavi Milan Utsav' was celebrated at Ranaghat of Bengal, as usual, gorgeously. It was observed at the office of SDO, Ranaghat. On 4 September, 1894 Rabindranath Tagore came to Ranaghat on request of another poet Nabin Chandra Sen who was the then SDO of Ranaghat. Tagore was going to Kusthia (now in Bangladesh), so he halted at Ranaghat on the way. On this day, Rabindranath came to the office of SDO, Ranaghat. Since then, the day is being observed by the residents of Ranaghat at the same place, where the two poets met. Here in this picture, the statues of two poets are seen garlanded at the office premises. A literary function was also held on this occasion. -- A. B.

An exhibition on Rabindranath Tagore and his thoughts about environment is being held at Muktodhara (near Goal Market) of New Delhi. It will run till 7 September. -- A. B.

A musical evening with Rabindra Sangeet on the river Ganga on 9 September. Only for guests. -- A. B.

A collage of various tribal villages of Andhra Pradesh is the theme of Behala Buroshibtala Janakalyan Sangha Durga Puja. Last year, the theme 'maner manush' was bagged various prizes. So, this year, theme-makers Subodh Roy and Amit Halder expect, viewers will be charmed to see the village on 200 acres land. The customs and traditions of a tribal village will be depicted at the puja mandap. The pumpkin within a rope cage is the auspicious sign at a tribal house of Andhra. Four rooms are being made, where the pumpkins would be hanged. Three coconut trees would be used in such a manner that you can think a mother is lapping two babies. An idol of Shiva-Parvati with Ganesh on their lap of 16 feet high would be there outside the main pandal. An artificial canal has been dug where, from fishery to marketing - all the processes can be experienced. The visitors have to cross the canal by wooden bridge to see the idol of goddess Durga. The main pandal would be surrounded b

The lotus flower is the symbol of peace. And the organisers of Santoshpur Lakepally Durga Puja are creating the puja pandal as the model of Delhi's Lotus Temple. This 54 year's puja will see the weapon-less idol of goddess Durga. Theme-maker Purnendu Dey is now busy to creat this weapon-less temple with 30 creative artists and by the elements of bamboo, wood, metals like bronz, brass, aluminum etc. Lighting and colour would be the main factor of this peaceful puja. -- A. B.

Do you remember the poem 'Palkir Gaan' by Satyendranath Dutta? Salil Chowdhury once composed the poem and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay sung the song by his unparallel voice. The organisers of this year's Kasba Shakti Sangha Durga Puja trying to bring back those forgotten days when a Palki was the only vehicle of rural Bengal. Moreover, they're trying to bring back the forgotten culture and crafts of rural Bengal. They're trying to establish the total picture as depicted in the poem. So, 12 huts are creating including the main pandal. Kamarshala, Goalghar, Paathshala, groceries - all the units of a village would be created here. Hence, you can find a village as it was 200 years ago. Even birds, banyan trees, animals, paddy fields - all the aspects of a rural village will be there in their puja pandal. You can find a pond there in which, lotus plants has been planted to get lotuses. Various types of fishes would be there and also a small bridge on the pond. The

Nature and woman - unification of both are depicting Dum Dum Park Tarun Dal in their puja pandal of this 35 year's Durga Puja. And the ingredient of this theme is - wool, colourful wools. The female artisans of Laxmikantapur are now busy with implementation of this theme with about 500 kgs wool. They're creating this artwork since last February. The sky, soil and water - three stages of their pandal. At first, you have to go through the sky, then have to cross soil and lastly the water.Anirban Das is the theme-maker. Suppose, you're going across sky, then you can see flying birds and ducks, the autumn clouds will float, lot of fairies and butterflies, but when you comes on earth, you can see the dancing santhals, singing bauls, riders on elephants. Moreover, trees, birds, deers - all will be there. At last, when you comes on water, you'll see bloomed lotuses , fishes, egrets, mermaids... and the wonderful thing is that, all these things would be made of wo