Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata are known for highlighting social causes and relevant issues every year through various themes during Navratri festivities, and this year, Naktala Udayan Sangha Puja Committee has decided to focus on the plight of the people who were displaced after the partition through their 'Hridaypur' theme. An executive member of the committee told news agency ANI about the preparations and said that this was not just the history of Naktala (the area where the pandal will be located), but it was a multidimensional narrative that encompasses the history of many people, families and colonies that were affected by the partition.
"The theme of this year's pandal is 'Hridaypur'. It is a fictitious name. It is about memories... From a broader perspective 'Hridaypur' is not just the history of Naktala, but a multidimensional narrative encompassing the history of many people, families and colonies affected by the partition," said Arka Bhattacharjee, an executive member of the committee.
Bhattacharjee said the research on the theme took around a year to complete.
While talking about the idol of the divine Goddess, he said that the deity would be placed inside the premises. He added that she is in a seated posture while holding two pitchers. The two pitcher pots symbolise the Ganga and Padma rivers which flow in West Bengal and Bangladesh respectively. He further said that a small house has also been designed near the idol to symbolise the migration across the borders.
With the beginning of Navratri on Sunday, the festive mood has now gripped West Bengal where artists are putting forth their best in making pandals and idols of Goddess Durga.