Durga Pujo is almost here! Here are five things you should look out for when you hop around pandals this year.
Food, Football & Fashion: 5 Things You Absolutely Cannot Miss This Pujo
Ten-Second Takeaway
These Stalls Will Have Food Cooked By Sex Workers
The State Fisheries Development Corporations {SFDC} is joining hands with the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) to give opportunities to as many as 30 sex workers from Kolkata’s red-light areas to whip up dishes for the food pavilions of around eight pujos in Kolkata {and two in Bangalore!}. And the best part? This does not end with Pujo – even after the festivities end, these workers will continue working under SFDC under a payroll. So much of Pujo cheer all around!
Catch A Glimpse Of Football Legends Maradona And Kahn
Football fans, this is your moment of celebration! Legends Diego Maradona and Oliver Kahn are flying down to Kolkata for FIFA and to be part of the pujo celebrations. While Oliver Kahn will be hosted by Chetla Agrani Club, we do not yet know for sure which pandal Maradona will be associated with. But here’s a fun fact – not only will Maradona inaugurate a pujo, he will also play a match against our very own Dada – Sourav Ganguly!
Ditch The Cabs, Go For Pujo Walks Instead
Take your squad pandal hopping with Pujo walk organisers – Let Us Go Tours who are organising area-specific pujo walks at prices starting from just INR 888 per head, and Calcutta Walks at INR 3,500 per head {inclusive of food}. So, put on your most comfortable pair of shoes, take that camera out and set out for a mesmeriszing pujo experience! For more information, get in touch with them at info.letusgo@gmail.com and explore@calcuttawalks.com.
Get Fashion Inspiration From The Goddess Herself
Three of the most renowned Pujos in town are roping in some of the best fashion designers to design the attires for Goddess Durga and her four children. That’s some major #fashiongoals right there! Ballygunge Samaj Sebi Sangha has joined hands with designer Tejas Gandhi who has in mind an ‘eccentric outfit’ to keep up with the pujo’s theme.
Designer Agnimitra Paul will be draping a 24kg gold sari around the idol of the Santosh Mitra Square Pujo, while Sharbari Datta will conceptualize the theme and costumes for Lala Bagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja.
Hear Thespian Soumitra Chatterjee’s Voiceover As A Pujo Theme
For the first time ever, hear one of Tollywood’s most legendary actors Soumitra Chatterjee recite verses for the theme sound of one of the pujos this year. Kumartuli Sarbojanin will be graced by the haunting chant of Soumitra Chatterjee reciting lines from ‘Ami Shei Diganto Periye Ashar Uttoradhikar’, and you cannot give it a miss.
