While the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government is reeling under fund crunch, puja associations linked to the ruling party have no dearth of funds.
In fact, medium-budget and lesser-known pujas are the talk of the town this year. Inundated with sponsorship money, the average budget has shot up manifold. Paribartan, or change, that hit the state earlier this year, with the Trinamool ousting a 34-year Left Front regime, appears to have touched Durga Puja celebrations, as well.
Sports minister Madan Mitra’s association with Agradut Udayan Sangha at Bhowanipore in South Kolkata has helped the club garner a 267 per cent rise in funds. And, without any collection, or chanda, from locals.
| MORE SPENDING | ||
| Club | Last year’s budget | This year’s budget |
| Agradut Udaya Sangha at Bhowanipore | 6 | 22 |
| Ekdalia Evergreen Club | 40 | above 50 |
| Chetla Agrani club | 17 | above 23 |
| Suruchi Sangha | 16 | 20 |
| Naktala Udayan Sangha | 22 | above 30 |
| Figures in Rs lakh Source: Organisers | ||
“Madan da is the president of our club for over 15 years. This year, being the sports minister’s puja, the number of sponsors has multiplied. We have not collected chanda. Our prime source of funds is through advertisement and sponsors,” said Sudip Sarkar, treasurer of the club.
True enough. Banners from City-based firms like Rose Valley, Icore and Pailan group, are everywhere. The Rs 22-lakh puja is themed on a retreat to the rural green, with rice saplings adorning the pandal. Of course, it helps if the minister is visible in the neighbourhood, or para, to personally oversee the day-to-day progress.
To be fair, Ekdalia Evergreen Club Puja, or public health engineering minister Subrata Mukherjee’s puja, has always been popular. Despite the slowdown, the club has managed to increase its budget from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
The unique selling proposition of this puja is the traditional decoration, or Daker Shaj, but with a difference. The organisers have recreated a German village by artist Gregor Schneider. “Ekdalia Evergreen club has remained a major attraction for years and we have consciously kept puja and politics apart,” said Mukherjee.
Chetla Agrani Club, municipal affairs department minister Firhad Hakim’s puja, is eyeing the top slot in several puja competitions. Television channel Zee Bangla is its main sponsor and the budget has increased to Rs 23 lakh.
“Firhad, aka Bobby, is our club president and is equally enthusiastic about the puja, as about Eid. He is a living example of communal harmony and that is the inspiration for this year’s theme,” Suvendu Samanta, club member, said.
Suruchi Sangha is a name synonymous with Trinamool leader Arup Biswas. The club has roped in 25 Kashmiri karigars for decorating the pandal.
“Our main focus is to educate the millions of people who visit the pandal during the five days and as a people’s candidate, I believe it is my duty to give back to the society in every form,” said Biswas.
While all other clubs have political or media representatives inaugurating the puja, Biswas maintains Suruch Sangha is distinct for its social commitments. It’s the spirit of Ma, Mati, Manush — a Mamata Banerjee slogan. This year, the club has a budget of Rs 20 lakh.
But the most talked-about puja, and perhaps the most expensive (from the look of it), is industry minister Partha Chatterjee’s Naktala Udayan Sangha.
The silver jubilee celebration of the minister’s neighbourhood club has bagged a plethora of sponsors: Apollo Hospital, AMRI, Emami, Saregama, iCore, Reliance General Insurance, Ambuja Cement, Sahara India, and many more.
The pandal is designed along the lines of a mythical bird, made up of mahogany, while the idol is made up of 550 kg of brass and 100 ccf of mahogany wood. The official budget figure is upwards of Rs 30 lakh, but many say it’s more than Rs 50 lakh.
“The cost of the idol is around Rs 10 lakh,” said Bappaditya Dasgupta, club office bearer. There are rumours that top industry houses have shown interest in buying the idol from the organisers after the Puja.
Chatterjee, however, dismissed such claims. “I have been the president of numerous clubs, but never used my position or my chair for getting funds for any particular puja.” But that’s not stopping the organisers from cashing in on.
