New Town, a rapidly developing satellite city of Kolkata, is slated to get its first communit🥃y Durga Puja this year, organisers said on Thursday.
West Bengal's biggest festival was till now celebrated inside New Town's gated communities, where outsiders could view the idols and offer their prayers bu💯t only residents could participate in various🐬 programmes. During the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entry of outsiders was restricted.
However, the new community Durga Puja to be celebrated on City Square Ground near N🔴ew Town Clock Tower will be open to everyone for even participation in th🌟e events, they said.
The festival, which will be or🐷ganised by the New Town Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samiti, an association of residents of the area, has been backed by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) and New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), making it the fi꧒rst community puja to be supported by state agencies.
Organisers hope that the festi🎶val, which is around five months away, will give a boost to tourism and businesses, besides helping build the brand﷽ of New Town.
"We hope this communit𓂃y Durga Puja will help bring the residents of New Town closer," WBHIDCO Managing Director and NKDA Chairman Debashis Sen𒆙 said.
The 🐬puja committee has become the first to elaborate its plans for celebrating th🅰e festival in the Kolkata region where organisers vie to attract crowds with decoration, themes and idols.
"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is credited with taking Durga Puja to the global stage. We are committed to showcasing the various art forms of our state," the New Town festival committee's president Urmila Sen said, referring to the UNESCO Intangible ꦆHeritage tag for Durga Puja.
The logo of the committee, with the tagline 'Notun Shohor, Notun Pujo' (New City, New Puja), has been designed by renowned art♏ist Shuvaprasanna Bhattacharjee. It was unveiled at Press Club Kolkata on Wed𒉰nesday.
The theme will be conceptualised and executed by well-known Durga Puja artist Prasanta Pal, who had in the past brought ꧒laurels to man🉐y pujas with his artwork.
