CUTTACK: Unlike other localities, the residents of Chhatra Bazaar in Cuttack city refrain from consuming non-vegetarian food during the five-day Durga Puja. The Puja committee of the locality too does not promote non-vegetarian fare during the festival.
The practice had started in 2000. The locals believe since the Goddess of Nature is worshipped during the puja, they consume only vegetarian food during the period. President of Chhatra Bazaar Durga Puja Committee Debendra Sahoo and his wife Sushama said they refrain from ‘tamasic’ food including onion, garlic, mushroom, over-ripe and under-ripe fruits and vegetables from the day soil is collected for construction of the Goddess Durga idol.
The Chhatra Bazaar Durga Puja Committee had started worshipping Hara-Parvati in a thatched house in 1919. It had come up with a Chandi Medha (silver pandal) to commemorate 100 years of its inception in 2019. The committee is believed to be the trendsetter in conducting musical programmes during the puja. It had started the trend 70 years back when a cultural (bhajan) programme was conducted near the pandal with artists from nearby localities participating in it. The committee has been using the services of renowned Habib Melody for the last 50 years.
The Puja committee has also earned a name for itself for conducting the immersion ceremony in a peaceful manner every year. The organisers and the locals do not dance during the procession and keep the ceremony as simple as possible.
“Since dances often lead to troublesome situations, we abstain from it during immersion procession. We have booked a famous band party from Srikakulam, Singha Baja from Balangir, Dulduli Baja from Dhenkanal besides a Ghanta Badya troupe,” said Sahoo. As many as six crowns have been constructed by the committee using around 15 kg silver with which the idol of the Goddess will be decorated.