Durga Puja in the NCR: Focus on Women's Safety and Traditional Art
The pandal set up by Bangiya Parishad resembles Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Barnaparichay While most Durga Puja pandals celebrate Bengali folk arts and heritage, some in NCR are embracing the theme ...
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The Bangiya Parishad's festive structure takes inspiration from Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Barnaparichay primer. While many Durga Puja installations in the NCR showcase Bengali heritage and folklore, some are focusing on women's safety to empower goddesses in everyday life. From B-Block's Kashi Vishwanath- themed setup to Mela Ground's daaker saaj-style idol adorned with alpona patterns, CR Park is celebrating its rich heritage. Milani Cultural and Welfare Association's display centers on women's empowerment, aiming to raise awareness about safety through art. Mayur Vihar Ph-1 features large hand-painted pankhas showcasing this theme. Sec 56 in Gurgaon highlights Barnoporichoy from Bengali literature, while The Cooperative Ground Durga Puja Samity's installation pays tribute to rural Bengali culture with depictions of Jamini Roy's art and traditional handicraft items. The Durgotsab GK 2 pandal exhibits Kalighat-style patachitra art resembling visual sankirtan, and a black and white sketch by artist Nilanjan honors the workers behind the Durgotsab GK 2 structure.40, CR Park, is showcasing traditional folk art from four regions of Bengal - Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, and Midnapur, renowned for their red soil. The walls and panels decorated with gamchas depict the rural heritage of the Rahr Bangla regions of Bengal. Ashish, a school teacher and artist, was seen putting finishing touches to a shora - hand-painted earthen discs at the Pocket 40 pandal. The Arambagh Puja Samiti pandal, themed 'Abandoned Mothers,' sheds light on the challenges faced by widows navigating life alone. The Matri Mandir pandal takes visitors on a journey into the heart of gram Bangla, showcasing vibrant Bengali artwork. At Jalvayu Vihar Sanskritik Kalyan Samity's pandal in Sector 21, artists have crafted a Bonedi Bari with green wooden windows and adorned the panels with paintings celebrating dhunuchi naach. The 16th edition of Balaka Durgotsav in Sector 61 Noida carries the theme 'Temple of Peace and Harmony,' featuring an off-white and gold pandal embellished with intricate cut-outs of doves. Alpona on the street leads to Noida Sector 137 Sarbojanin Pujo Samiti's pandal adorned with hand-painted kulos. DLF Phase IV's DCDP Bengali Cultural Society pays homage to Satyajit Ray's cinema and the Ray family - Upendra Kishor, Sukumar, and Satyajit Ray by celebrating Sonnar Kella (1974). The pandal's facade resembles the golden fortress from the film.It shares a resemblance with the Sun Temple of Konark. Photos credited to Ajay Kumar Gautam, Ranjit Kumar, Lokesh Kashyap, and Nishad Alam.