Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Bringing charm of Bengal to Coimbatore

Anasuya Menon

Artisans come from Kolkata every year to prepare the idols for Durga Puja celebrations in the city

DIVINE COLOURS: Idols getting ready for the Durga Puja celebrations to be conducted by the Bengali Association in the city. - PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

COIMBATORE: A 14-feet tall idol of Goddess Durga seemed to be revelling in all the attention on the premises of the Bengali Association. Propped up against the wall at the entrance, She is in the final stages of completion.

On September 28, the first day of the Durga Puja celebrations in the city, the idol will be taken to the S.N.V. Kalyana Mandapam at Ramnagar, accompanied by idols of Ganesha, Lakshmi and Karthik, where the entire Bengali community will gather to join in the festivities.

Every year, the Bengali Association gets artisans from Kolkata to make these. Indrojit Paul has been coming to Coimbatore for the last six years for making the Durga idol. "It takes nearly 30 days for completion," he says. Made with clay procured from the banks of the Ganges, the idol is robed in silks and decorated with garlands and ornaments. The city has a Bengali population of nearly 15,000 and every year, Durga Puja is celebrated on a large scale, said Basab Sinha, vice-president of the association.

Pujas will be performed till October 1, `Nabami' day in the morning and evening. The final puja will be held on October 2, Dashami day and the idol would be immersed in Muthannankulam at Chokkampudur.

Drum players called `Dhakis' and music band, `Jhankaar,' would add colour to the occasion. For details, contact : 9894280001.

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