Ambicapur Purbapara’s Durga puja sets foot in 103 years, Chandals-sweepers to inaugurate the pandal

Silchar’s Ambicapur Purbapara and Hospital Road Durga Puja Committee set their feet in the 103rd year of their Durga Puja celebrations. Like any other year, this year too the puja committee has made out-of-the-box preparations. This year the committee has invited chandals or corpse cleaners to inaugurate their puja pandal. Along with the trend-breaking move, the puja will also involve modern touches along with maintaining the pure devotional side of the puja. The artists involved in making the idol and pandal are all local artisans. 

In their 103rd year, the Ambicapur Purbapara and Hospital Road Durga Puja Committee’s puja pandal will be inaugurated by Manoranjan Suklabaidya, who is a chandal by profession in the Silchar Shamshan Ghat. Along with him, Udharbond’s Ajoy Das will also be there, who is a rickshaw puller by profession but his claim to fame was during the last devastating flood. During the time when the entire Cachar was submerged and there were no places even to cremate any dead body, Ajoy Das came forward to perform the last rites of over forty such dead bodies. Kamalu Basfar, a sweeper and a potter will also be there with them in the inauguration ceremony of the pandal.

The idol is being prepared by Nabendu Chakraborty, an artist from Pailapool. The pandal is being prepared by Ashish Paul and Shankar Chakraborty has taken the charge of lighting for the puja. Another special attraction this time is their band of dhakis or dhak players who are being called from Shantiniketan.

In 2019, this puja has completed a hundred years and the ornaments used for the idol were made of gold that year. This year, the ornaments are being made of terracotta. The women of the area play a vital role in organizing and managing the puja every year. Like last year, this year too there will be a new theme song for the puja committee which is yet another major attraction.