Colourful pandals, innovative idols and the infectious energy of 40 kids made it a special Saptami for Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Koneenica Banerjee. They clicked selfies, played the dhak, danced to its beat and obliged every request of the kids for autographs and pictures in between touring pandals for TTIS Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo, in association with Truly Nolen.

Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty, Best Puja

Last year’s finalist won the hearts of the young judges this year as well. Kids loved the idea of an entire pandal made out of ghee tins. “We have used around 5,000 tins and the designs that you see in the mandap have been cut out from ghee tins as well,” said Ashok Jaiswal, vice-president, Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty puja committee. The recycle effort scored with the children who thought it was an eco-friendly affair. “It’s very colourful and they have used lead-free colours. Their idea was very innovative,” said Riddhi Basu, a Class VII student of Shri Shikshayatan School.

Koneenica loved the play of colours. “It is so vibrant and attractive that everyone will be tempted to walk in. They have also tried to keep it green. That’s not an easy task,” said the actress.

Santoshpur Lake Pally, First runner-up

Koneenica was thrilled to see seashells everywhere as they reminded her of childhood holidays. Santoshpur Lake Pally brought alive the theme Teen Bhaag Jal, Ek Bhaag Lake Pally with sea waves made out of plastic cups and fishes made with seashells. The roar of the sea in the background created the perfect ambience. “We have imported shells from nine countries, as far as Australia and Indonesia,” said Rana Dasgupta, the general secretary of Santoshpur Lake Pally.

Laxmi Ratan felt the pandal had all the right elements to attract children. “The way they have created sea waves using plastic cups is incredible. I am amazed by the decorations and the sand art,” he said before trying his hand at the dhak. Koneenica was quick to keep step as some of the children too joined in.

Ultadanga Sangrami, Second runner-up

This Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo veteran turned lucky this year. The theme Ebhabeo Utsab Hoy was depicted with a fusion of flavours from south Indian festivals. “All south Indian festivals are very colourful and flowers are an integral part of them. So we decorated our pandal with flowers made of water bottles which became a hit with the schoolchildren,” said Joy Saha, media convener of the puja.

Sonket Mukherjee, a Class XII student of Aditya Academy (Senior Secondary), was happy with the use of bio-degradable products. “They used plants, bamboo and jute for decoration and no extra effort is needed to recycle the products used here,” he said.

Behala Buroshibtala Jana Kalyan Sangha, Best Theme

It’s not just Prime Minister Narendra Modi who’s trying to create awareness about the need to clean up Ganga. The message at this puja in Behala was similar. The wooden mandap resembled a massive boat surrounded by several raised hands. “The hands represent Ganga praying to Durga to save her. These hands are also of all those people who depend on Ganga for their livelihood,” said Robin Mondal, the secretary of the puja. The pandal that took five months to build had the children impressed. “I like the way they have worked on Ganga pollution as it is a serious concern. I also liked the idol, there seemed to be intensity in Maa Durga’s eyes,” said Sayantika Das, a Class IX student of Loreto Day School, Sealdah.

The theme, according to Laxmi Ratan, was touching. “We all want a cleaner Ganga and this puja sends out a strong message. I liked the sea of blue hands.”

This puja was also special because the entire team of little judges got to pose for a click with the former India cricketer.

Vivekananda Sporting Club, Lake Town, Best Idol

A lesson in mythology awaited the children and the stars at this Lake Town puja. The idol made out of clay and lead-free colours caught the eye. Yug Adhya, a Class III student of Frank Anthony Public School and the youngest of the judges, thought the goddess here had a gelled hairstyle! The entire story of akal bodhan was depicted here and the kids had Laxmi Ratan impressed with their trivia.

Laxmi Ratan, too, thought it was a good idea to borrow the theme from Indian mythology. “In this age of Chhota Bheem, this is very relevant. It will encourage children to know more about their tradition and mythology.”

For Koneenica, the puja offered a healthy dose of mythology and fun. “Kids are bound to love the monkeys and Ravana. Also, they are getting to know so much about the Ramayan and the beginning of Durga Puja at a time when they are mostly into Harry Potter and Xbox.”

Both Laxmi Ratan and Koneenica dropped in at a stall selling patachitra paintings and artefacts and picked up a fan each.

Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha, Shrachi Green Earth Award for Greenest Puja in association with Earth Day Network

Haryana came alive at this pandal, where folk art from the state was used to depict Sajimata Utsav. “Just before Holi, women in Haryana make idols out of cow dung, place them on the walls and worship them. We have made these wall sculptures with paper pulp and multani mitti. Our idol is of Sherawali Mata dressed in Haryanvi style,” said Bipul Saha, the joint secretary of Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha. Anika Chakravarty, a Class VI student of Modern High School for Girls, was so happy that she wanted to give the puja extra points. “I loved it as it was eco-friendly and colourful,” she said.

The colourful folk stories took Koneenica back to Puja holidays and reading pujobarshikis. “This pandal reminded me of that time. Stories always attract children.”

TEXT BY AYAN PAUL, SAMABRITA SEN AND SHWETA KESHRI

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / Wednesday – October 08th, 2014