“Roopam dehi, Jayam dehi, Yasho
dehi, Dwisho jahi”
Its festive season!! Bolo Bolo Durga Maa ki Joy! Durga Pujo or Navratri holds different values
and traditions for various communities but one thing that remains constant is
that its synonymous with shopping, pandal hopping and doi-mishti with gorom gorom jilaapis.
Guwahati has always been a hotbed for Puja celebrations year in and out. We
took a ride out on the night of MahaShasti
as we did last year around the city and we
present to you our top picks for this year’s Pujo. Make sure to visit as many
of them as you can this festive season.
2 1. Rest Camp Kalibari, Pandu
The rest camp puja is an evergreen hit. People from all round the town have this puja on the top of their wishlist. This time too the committee has come up with a humongous pandal which has the sheen of gold-cover from top to bottom. The pratima is gorgeous and you will be swoon in its beauty.
1 2. Bishnupur High School, Bishnupur
The much awaited, much anticipated 100-feet
high monument of Durga Maa steals the show this year. Bishnupur puja committee
has come up every year with refreshing themes for the Pujo, and this year it
took to a whole new level. It registered itself as the ‘World’s Tallest Bamboo
sculpture’. It took nearly 5000 bamboo poles for its construction. The fact
that the organizers and the construction team took it to completion despite the
fact that the structure came down after a recent storm makes it even more hailworthy.
You just can’t miss this.
3 3. Sluice Gate, Shantipur
The puja here has garnered great attention
in the last few years and the organizing committee haven’t let their guard
down. This time the pandal has been themed on an old Haveli with a haunted
backdrop. The ‘bronzed’ Pratima has a
unique appeal.
4 4. Athgaon, below the Fly-over
Carrying on from its last year success, the
Puja samittee this time around decided to create a 3-D look to the pandal and
accentutate it with an interplay of lights. Do try to check it out
5 5. Latasil Khel Pothar
The pandal here is grand and overall
atmosphere is lively. It’s a puja greeted by large hordes of people. The pandal
exterior depicts a huge idol of our favourite Ganesha resting and the pratima
is equally beautiful.
6 6. Geetanagar field, Geetanagar
The pandal is grand and inside stands Durga
Maa with her children. The Pratima looks unique and has a distinct aesthetic
appeal. Lots of food stalls up this year round and the background music chants
are really soothing.
7. Bhootnath Puja
Themed on the
fantasy place of Dholakpur, this puja pandal is a great attraction for kids. The
pratima inside is very beautiful.
7
8 8. Lakhi Mandir, Beltola
Once you enter be prepared to rack your
brains. The pratima here is different as compared to any other. Probably the
organizers thought of putting in some depth
and perspective to the idols. Its open to interpretation but the idol
imagery would linger in your mind surely.
9 9. Narayanpur, Hengrabari Puja
The gigantic Vishnu stands up tall and as
you look up to it, you will surely start contemplating. Period. Enter inside,
the pratima resides in the customary place showering blessings on one and all.
1 10. B. K. Tower Puja, Ganeshguri
This turned out to be the wild card entrant
and marked its entry into the big league of best Puja pandals. The pandal here
is just amazing. We had never seen anything like this pandal. Shutterbugs and
selfie queens this has got to be your Holy Grail. This has got to be ‘Penfreak’s
special pick of 2017’
Complimentary one: Silpukhuri
So these were our top picks in this year’s Puja. We may have
missed some of the Pujas which could have easily made it to the list. Some of
the other Pujos that you can surely check out are Powerhouse, Kahilipara;
American Colony, Pandu; Bamunimaidam Rail Colony, Kalibari.
If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment and
share your views.
Pic Credits- Nikhilesh Ojah
Special thanks to- Pallab Dutta, Sayantan Paul, Naba Raj Chetri, Sidharth Sharma
( The author is a 3rd year MBBS student of Gauhati Medical College and is a featured writer at penfreak.in, he can be contacted in pratapcool800@gmail.com)
Special thanks to- Pallab Dutta, Sayantan Paul, Naba Raj Chetri, Sidharth Sharma
( The author is a 3rd year MBBS student of Gauhati Medical College and is a featured writer at penfreak.in, he can be contacted in pratapcool800@gmail.com)
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