Kolkata: Armed with paint brushes and colour, around 50 children with special abilities came together at BC Block Durga Puja Ground at Salt Lake on Mahalaya morning and let loose their imagination on a 250ft-tall wall canvas. This canvas is adding hues to the puja celebrations of BC Block Residents’ Association in its 50th year.According to Debashis Saha, chief patron of BC Block Residents Association, about 60 children participated in the wall painting on Saturday. Of them, 50 were special children who painted their imaginations relating to the festival on the canvas. The organisers stated the wall painting canvas spread the message that every child deserves the opportunity to create, participate and be recognised for their abilities.“At a time, 10-12 children wielded brushstrokes on the canvas that transformed into a vibrant expression of the great festival in Bengal. For five decades, our puja has been an integral part of the cultural and community life in Salt Lake and the golden jubilee is not merely a celebration of a milestone. Rather, it is an opportunity for us to 50-year-old legacy while adhering to the values of a more inclusive and compassionate future,” said Saha.A few other pujas in Salt Lake are celebrating their golden jubilee year with bigger dimensions. For instance, AE Block (Part 2) Samaj Kalyan Sangha’s Durga Puja celebration revolves around the theme of ‘Aalo’ (light). On Saturday evening, the organisers marked the ‘Chokkhu Daan Utsav’ in which actress Parno Mitra joined.Tapas Sengupta, secretary of AE Block (Part 2) Samaj Kalyan Sangha, said, “This is for the first time in the 50th year that we are doing theme puja. Around 1,000 local residents are associated with this puja. The highlight of our celebration this year is a 6.5ft ramp, on which the visitors will climb and see various artistic installations. As part of our golden jubilee celebration, we have also increased the height of our idol, which will be around 14ft tall. In the previous year, the idol’s height used to be within 9ft.”Similarly, Salt Lake EC Block Residents’ Association is also celebrating its golden jubilee with the depiction of Mahabharata glimpses at its pandal this year. Mouli Nath Majhi, secretary of the association, said, “Our puja is depicting various episodes of Mahabharata and this sets our celebration apart from the previous years. Along with cultural events, we will also share the festive joy with the poor people as they are also part of the society. About 200 residents are associated with this puja.”The organisers of CD Block Citizens Council’s Durga Puja are sticking to a traditional celebration in their 50th year. Soumya Mukherjee, president of the puja committee, said, “We are trying to revisit the earlier days of puja celebrations in Bidhannagar during 1970s. That is why, we decided to make traditional puja the highlight of our golden jubilee year.”Central Park at Salt Lake that is witnessing Durga Puja for the first time this year will transport visitors to the spiritual world of Ram Rajya this puja. Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad that is organising the puja is also set to host the cast of the upcoming Bollywood film Ramayana Part I including actors Ranvir Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Sai Pallavi, Lara Dutta among others on Dashami for their Dussehra celebration and Ravan Dahan. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari is slated to join the Bollywood crew in burning Ravan’s effigies as part of the rituals.Lalit Beriwala, Trust Board chairman of the sansad, said, “Durga Puja and Dussehra hold a special place in our cultural fabric, and this year’s theme brings the two celebrations together through a common cultural thread. ‘Ram Er Ayodhya – Ram Ki Ayodhya’ has the potential to make the celebrations particularly engaging for the community.”
