BENGALURU: In an ode to sustainability and eco-friendly celebration of festivals, the oldest Durga Puja pandal in Bengaluru has taken the green route this year. Using over 1,000 cardboard boxes and repainting them for decorating the pandal in Ulsoor, The Bengalee Association wanted to reuse material, and
reduce pollution as much as possible.
With this year’s theme being ‘Baro Mashe, Tero Parbon’ (12 months, 13 festivals), the Bengalee Association, established in the year 1959, has highlighted all the traditional festivals using cardboard and jute for decor. Over 350 dolls made of cardboard, depicting several holy figurines in Hindu mythology, have been placed in the pandal.
Once the festival concludes, the cardboard boxes will be dismantled and reused for other purposes, informed the association. “The background behind the idol is made entirely of jute using 140 metres of the material. The decorations took over two months and a total of 15 artisans were roped in from West Bengal and Karnataka to create cut-outs of different deities and other design elements,” said Sujoy Upadhyay, a member of the association.
The idol of the goddess Durga is also made out of clay which stands on plywood. “The idol uses the clay from the banks of river Ganga, to give it the perfect finish that local clay wouldn’t provide, and to give the clay structural grit, bamboo has been used,” informed Siddhartha Sircar part of the association. “This year, the pandal has been designed by the younger generation of the association. They’ve beautifully combined traditional and modern elements, to make an interesting and unique experience,” he added.
“We invited a children’s NGO yesterday for lunch. We do it every year, it’s a festival for everyone,” added Upadhyay. The pandal witnesses around 1,000 people every day, and on Ashtami day, the pandal saw over 1,500 people coming from all parts of the city.