Allen Park will undergo a transformation this year as it prepares to host a Durga Puja celebration (Pic: Indranil Das/TOI)
Mishra, a resident of Park Street, said the idea of bringing a Durga Puja to the locality had been on his mind since he first contested the 2015 civic elections. There used to be a small puja here more than 200 years ago, but it happened only once or twice.
We are creating history,” he said. We want this puja to be a spectacle while following traditional norms,” Mishra said. The puja committee includes BJP general secretary Navin Mishra as secretary and BJP spokesperson Shankudeb Panda as president. “Park Street has not traditionally been a venue for Durga Puja. After that, there has been no Durga Puja in Park Street. “We want people to come to Park Street specifically to see the grand evening aarti from Chaturthi to Dashami just as people visit the Varanasi ghats to see the Ganga aarti. Families from neighbouring districts can come here, enjoy the cultural programmes, have prasad and watch the aarti.
Allen Park’s association with public celebrations stretches back to the Park Street Carnival, which began at the venue in 2007. The carnival was later taken over by the Bengal government after 2011 and rechristened the Christmas Festival, becoming a major part of Kolkata’s year-end celebrations.
Mishra said that unlike the more commonly used khuti puja, the organisers would follow the bhoomi pujan ritual as part of their stated Sanatani traditions. Mishra said the organisers wanted the puja to remain free of political pressure and not inconvenience residents or other visitors. We want everyone to follow their traditions, while ensuring that our Bengali and Sanatani culture is also represented,” he said.
The organisers are considering starting the cultural programmes on Mahalaya, although the formal puja rituals will begin from Chaturthi. Pandal construction has already started and the Sanatani Sangha is scheduled to conduct a bhoomi pujan next week. The committee is also reaching out to prominent citizens, businessmen, academics and retired professionals from the locality to serve as patrons. “We have no objection to anyone celebrating their festival. Christmas should be celebrated beautifully. Park Street has its own charm during Christmas.