Seventy-five Durga puja idols, accompanied by tableaux projecting unique and intricate artwork, will take centre stage as they parade on the Red Road here, marking the annual immersion carnival.
Christened the 'Red Road Carnival', the brainchild of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the event will witness the procession of the 75 idols on a giant truck, along with the tableaux and cultural programme presentations.
In a Tweet, Banerjee invited people to come and witness the carnival, which is into its third year.
A special pandal, resembling a palace, has been erected along the parade route where the CM, her Cabinet colleagues and dignitaries, including those from different consulates, will be seated, to showcase the multi-faceted heritage of Bengal.
"We are making arrangements, which will be at par with any international carnival," said Member, Mayor-in-Council, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Debashish Kumar.
Secretary of 75 Palli Puja Committee, Bhawanipore, Subir Das said, "We are participating for the third time in a row - since the inception of this carnival. Our procession had won best performer of immersion award in the first year."
The College Square Puja Committee will put up its idol in the carnival parade to highlight how the puja has been sticking to the same "parampara" (tradition) over decades, and also present a small dance number, said Bikash Majumder, on behalf of the committee.
The carnival is aimed at projecting Bengal's biggest festival, the Durga puja, to tourists who missed the opportunity to see the idols and craftsmanship on pandals during the festival days, Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs, Indranil Sen, had said last week.
"We want to involve more Durga Puja committees in the carnival to showcase art and creativity to the world. It is the biggest festival in Bengal where lakhs of people participate," Banerjee had said in September.
A Kolkata Police official said on Monday that all arrangements have been made to manage traffic during the immersion carnival.
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