I wait the entire year for these few days. In fact this year I also went to the extent of researching all the available Digital SLR cameras available and at the last moment decided against it, and was dependent on my old faithful Canon A520 for capturing the splendor of the Goddess and all the intricate work that had been labored over the past month or more to get some of the most spectacular Pandals erected.
The Pandal Hopping was scheduled from Saptami this year. Our group of usual suspects, and as usual some add ons ( as is the case every year), assembled on Day One at one Dadu’s place just behind Chittaranjan Hospital. Here let me add that ‘we’, are a very organised Pandal Hopping Group. First we identify the Pandals of repute, i.e. award winning ones, or those that we hear are good by word of mouth. The second thing is to get as many VIP passes to these said Pandals, and then find some connections so that we can gain entry without having to wait in the endless lines! This year we decided to forego driving ourselves around, and instead hired two TATA Sumos to ferry us around. We then decide the starting locations for each day. Today happened to be Dadu’s place. There are drinks ( for those drinking ), and dinner for everyone provided by the host for the day ( Dadu for today ). The menu today consisted of Mangsho ( Mutton ), Murgi ( Chicken ), et al, and ended with an assortment of Mishtis ( Sweets ).
We hit the road by about 9.00pm. Day One( for us )- Saptami, was going to be extreme South Kolkata. So our first stop was at Ajay Sangha, Tollygunge. We walked through some caves, which was the theme and came upon the goddess. From here we headed to Barisha Club, Behala, which like every year had a theme; Time, that was well portrayed with various time measuring concepts from the world over. After that a lot of winding roads and narrow by-lanes led us to the next Pandal on the list; Adarsha Palli, Behala. From there we went to the ever award winning Puja, Suruchi Sangha, New Alipore. This year’s theme was Assam. They had a group of Bihu Musicians in the middle playing away. This is a must visit Puja, every year without fail. The next stop and final one for the night was 66 Palli, Rashbehari. The concept was something to do with birds.
After that we headed back to Park Circus and dispersed to our respective homes. We got home by 2.55am the first night.
Pictures
01. Ajay Sangha, Tollygunge
02. Barisha Club, Behala
03. Adarsha Palli, Behala
04. Suruchi Sangha, New Alipore
05. 66 Palli, Rashbehari
The Pandal Hopping was scheduled from Saptami this year. Our group of usual suspects, and as usual some add ons ( as is the case every year), assembled on Day One at one Dadu’s place just behind Chittaranjan Hospital. Here let me add that ‘we’, are a very organised Pandal Hopping Group. First we identify the Pandals of repute, i.e. award winning ones, or those that we hear are good by word of mouth. The second thing is to get as many VIP passes to these said Pandals, and then find some connections so that we can gain entry without having to wait in the endless lines! This year we decided to forego driving ourselves around, and instead hired two TATA Sumos to ferry us around. We then decide the starting locations for each day. Today happened to be Dadu’s place. There are drinks ( for those drinking ), and dinner for everyone provided by the host for the day ( Dadu for today ). The menu today consisted of Mangsho ( Mutton ), Murgi ( Chicken ), et al, and ended with an assortment of Mishtis ( Sweets ).
We hit the road by about 9.00pm. Day One( for us )- Saptami, was going to be extreme South Kolkata. So our first stop was at Ajay Sangha, Tollygunge. We walked through some caves, which was the theme and came upon the goddess. From here we headed to Barisha Club, Behala, which like every year had a theme; Time, that was well portrayed with various time measuring concepts from the world over. After that a lot of winding roads and narrow by-lanes led us to the next Pandal on the list; Adarsha Palli, Behala. From there we went to the ever award winning Puja, Suruchi Sangha, New Alipore. This year’s theme was Assam. They had a group of Bihu Musicians in the middle playing away. This is a must visit Puja, every year without fail. The next stop and final one for the night was 66 Palli, Rashbehari. The concept was something to do with birds.
After that we headed back to Park Circus and dispersed to our respective homes. We got home by 2.55am the first night.
Pictures
01. Ajay Sangha, Tollygunge
02. Barisha Club, Behala
03. Adarsha Palli, Behala
04. Suruchi Sangha, New Alipore
05. 66 Palli, Rashbehari
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