Kedarnath temple replica, artificial snowfall inside pandal; Udharbond is back with its big budget Durga Puja

After two years of restraint, the Udharbond’s big budgeted Kalibari road committee is pulling out all stops to celebrate Durga Puja once again with great pomp and show.

Puja organisers said they had to settle for smaller budgets in the last two years but this time, they are going big to break past records.

The festival of Durga Puja will be observed from October 1 this year and will go on till October 5. After a two-year hiatus due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Bengalis around the globe is once again gearing up to host the communities’ biggest festival with much fervor and enthusiasm.

If spoken about Silchar’s Durga puja celebration, the very first location that comes to mind for puja hopping is Udharbond Kalibari Road Sarbojonin Durga Puja Committee. One of the biggest crowd pullers in the entire Barak Valley region, the committee has planned to wipe out the faded memories of the last two years.

“We are moving back to pre-covid celebrations. Things have started looking up after two years of muted celebrations. Brands are back in talks with us for sponsorships after two years. It’s heartening for us” said Sankar Roy, senior member of the committee.

Last few years, the Committee commissioned replicas of several iconic structures which turned out to be a great success for them in terms of footfall. Titanic, Akshardham, and London Bridge are a few themes that people would easily remember.

“We are going to craft the idol this time in snow model, kept inside a specially designed pandal. We are expecting to break our own previous record in terms of visitors as we have engaged some of the top talented artisans to shape our pandal and idols” said Sayan Ray, secretary of the puja committee.

The committee has also planned to install a replica of the Kedarnath temple adjacent to the main pandal to attract visitors. “There will also be artificial snowfall over the idols to give a realistic appearance,” said the secretary.

The puja committee has set a target to open up the pandal for devotees by the evening ‘Chaturthi’.

“We are also placing strong security arrangements to control the crowd. There will be three entry gates, viz- one normal and other two VIP entries. Apart from this, we will also encourage visitors to wear masks and sanitize their hands at regular intervals as COVID is yet not gone” said Ray.

The pandal surroundings will also be adorned with royal lighting and decorations during the festival days.