SHILLONG, SEPT 21: Meghalaya is all geared up to celebrate the Durga Puja, a major annual festival of the Hindus, which will begin from September 26 to 30.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the Central Puja Committee (CPC) president Naba Bhattacharjee said that along with the festival, the committee will also celebrate its silver jubilee by organizing different activities and programmes.
Also releasing the logo of the CPC’s silver jubilee celebration, he said the year-long celebration has already started since August 27 this year and will end in the same month next year.
CPC general secretary JL Das said that the puja celebration will commence with the annual ‘get-together of harmony’ in which leaders of different religious faiths, NGOs academician and others will join the all faith prayer for peace and harmony on September 23.
A total of 231 pandals will be set up across the state, he said while informing that the state capital alone will be having 73 pandals installed by the puja committess and families.
While 112 pandals will be set up across the four districts of Khasi Hills region, a total of 107 in Garo Hills region and 11 in Jaintia Hills, a region which is home of the 100 year old Durga temple in Nartiang.
According to him, all most all the puja pandals will be installed with close circuit televisions (CCTVs).
He said that the committee had also requested the chief minister Mukul Sangma to ensure there is no power cuts during the festival, which the latter agreed to pass necessary direction.
On the other hand, Bhattacharjee said that almost 90 per cent of the Durga idols are coloured with non-toxic vegetable-based dyes.
According to him, this has also led to over 30 per cent increase in the prices of the idols across the state.
He said, “The CPC is concerned with the environment and it undertakes pre and post-puja cleaning of the lone immersion ghat in the city located on the banks of the River Umkhrah at Polo every year.”
“This year, CPC will undertake cleaning drives after the immersion of Kali idols next month and all the puja committees of Greater Shillong will join us in our Swachh Abhiyan that was launched in 2015,” he adds.
Das added that cleaning drives will also be organized by the different puja committees in and around their respective puja pandals.
He informed that CPC’s Prasad Gupta Memorial Drum Beat (Indigeous) will be held on September 28 and SK Das Memorial Drum Beat competition (traditional) will be held on September 29.
By Our Reporter
+ There are no comments
Add yours