Residents of co-operative group housing societies in Mayur Vihar Phase I Extension will be celebrating 25 years of Durga pujo this time. The pandal replicates the rajbari or royal palace of Kolkata.
Most of the behind-the-scene artistes have been flown in from Kolkata.
According to the schedule, Navratri celebrations were suppose to kick off from today, but unfortunately, rains played spoilsport. So, celebrations will have to begin from Monday at the DDA playground between Lovely Apartments and Vigyapan Lok Apartments.
“We were almost ready to kick off the programme yesterday, as there’s a long list of cultural events. But it started to rain, and is still raining. So, we decided to shift everything to Monday,” explained Santanu Bhattacharya, one of the committee members.
Antarang, a group of residents from various housing societies arranging socio-cultural events in the area, has been organising Durga puja here for the last 24 years. Adding to the celebrations is the fact that many housing societies located in Mayur Vihar Extension are completing 25 years of existence.
The committee has invited Mumbai-based playback singer Vinod Rathor for September 28. There will be two more Bengal-based music groups to regale the audience.
Apart from the cultural programmes, there’ll be sports and painting competitions for children. And, of course, no pujo is complete without Anando Mela, a food fete organised by the community women. “Anando mela is like a food festival, where women bring homemade Bengali fare. It’s not a competition rather a pop-up of sorts,” Bhattacharya added. Apartment management system
In the last three days — Saptami, Ashthami and Navami — food and other items will be distributed to the needy. A crowd of over 2,000 is expected.
Bhattacharya told City Spidey that local police has assured to provide security inside and outside the premises. Around 10 to 12 CCTV cameras will be set up to maintain 24x7 surveillance. Apart from it, the organising committee will also deploy around two dozen volunteers to ensure the safety of women and children.
