Durga Puja festivities conclude in Bengal with spectacular carnival in Kolkata
Kolkata: Kolkata on Sunday witnessed a spectacular Durga Puja carnival as about 113 award-winning Puja committees displayed their idols, artistry and creativity at Red Road in the city.
The Durga Puja carnival marked the end of the Durga Puja festivities in West Bengal.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the carnival, which was attended by members of the Bengali Film and Television industry, government officials, state ministers and other dignitaries.
The carnival was held on the Red Road stretch between Fort William and Akashvani Bhavan. The event showcased Durga idols, choreographed dance performances which portrayed the rich culture and tradition of West Bengal before the immersion of the idols at Babughat.
Joining the celebrations, Banerjee also played the ‘dhak’ (traditional Bengali drum).
This year, prominent puja committees such as Sreebhumi Sporting, Ballygunge Cultural, Jodhpur Park, Ajeya Sanghati, Pratapaditya Road Tricon Park, Bhawanipur 75 Pally, Rammohan Sammilani, Juba Moitri Kalighat, Dumdum Tarun Dal, Shiv Mandir Sarbojonin, Kashi Bose Lane, Behala Club, Naktala Udayan Sangha and Alipore Bodyguard Lines of Kolkata Police were some of the participants.
Hundreds of spectators, including residents, dignitaries from foreign consulates, and international tourists, were present at the carnival.
The carnival also featured performances of iconic Bengali songs, including DL Roy’s ‘Dhano Dhanya Pushpabhara Amader Ei Bosundhara’, Pratul Mukherjee’s ‘Ami Banglay Gaan Gai’, Monali Thakur’s ‘Dugga Elo’, and Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Aji Bangladesher Hridoy Hote’, celebrating West Bengal’s natural beauty and heritage.
It may be recalled that UNESCO had conferred the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on West Bengal’s Durga Puja in December 2021.
Meanwhile, elaborate security and traffic arrangements were in place for the carnival. Restrictions on vehicular movements were imposed from Sunday noon to facilitate the movement of processions.