12 days to puja

The skeletons of Maa Durga’s abode on earth 12 days from now look agape at you. There, inside and on the structure outside, the workmen hang like monkeys dangling from branches of a tree.

They are busy piecing together parts that will go on to form magnificent edifices come puja days. Work proceeds round-the-clock with practiced ease sticking to the schedules.

While this is the story of big community pujas like Ekdalia Evergreen (picture below), the smaller ones have either had their pandals almost done or will have them attended to just 4 days before the D-day.

Usually the theme-based pandals are the first to start because they have to cross a long path before completion (an example below of a pandal on RB Connector). In contrast, the smaller pandals that will have only cloth-wrapping will be ready in the last lap because the decorators will not risk putting the cloth now lest it rains again in the run-up to the puja.