Early morning today the Durga Puja pandal at the Pocket 40 of Chittaranjan Park in Delhi caught fire, and it took the fire tenders nearly 45 minutes to extinguish it. Predictably, a pall of gloom has descended at the place.
Fire in Delhi puja pandals is however not new. Several years back the B-Block puja pandal was completely gutted because of a devastating fire. The pandal that year was built on a massive scale like the ones seen in Kolkata. However the fire so much affected the organizers that from next year the B-Block puja would have pretty simple pandals.
In Delhi, what normally happens (at least in CR Park pujas) is that a huge shamiana is built under which everything is accommodated – the idols, the stage where functions take place, numerous commercial stalls, and even the makeshift kitchen.
The Mela Ground puja that attracts huge crowd right from Mahasosthi Anandamela including Delhi’s who’s whos’ is a big testimony to such arrangements.
Not a wonder therefore that the pandals are not only a fire’s delight but also if it happens the entire place gets gutted very soon. The Pocket 40 puja has houses around very close to the pandal. Lucky the people there are because the fire could be extinguished this morning before it could spread and do much damage.
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