Durga puja to "Go Green" this time in kolkata
At a time when global warming and high pollution levels have emerged as major challenges worldwide, Durga puja committees in Kolkata have come up with green themes for their marquees to spread awareness about a clean environment among the people.
"At Khidderpore 25 Palli, on the western fringes of the city, around 5 lakh plastic bottles are being used to embellish the pandal and generate awareness on global warming," News agency PTI quoted artist Sanatan Dinda, who has bagged several awards over the years for his marquee concepts, as saying.
"Apart from plastic bottles, parts of air conditioners, fan coils and radiators have been used to create a tunnel leading to the pandal. Our objective is to drive home the message that one should be careful about dumping electronic waste," he added.
The committee members of the popular puja pandals in the city, Ahiritola Sarbojonin Durgotsab, have decided to adopt 'water scarcity' as its theme.
"We are re-creating a 1000-year-old stepwell of Gujarat, which, at one point of time, used to be a source of water for many villages," said Tanmoy, one of the puja committee members.
Similarly, at Santoshpur Lake Palli, another crowd-puller, a snow-capped hill, about 10 feet in height, willadorn the marquee's entrance.
"We will use a special preservation technique to prevent the ice from melting on the replica hill. I hope our efforts pay off and the visitors get to learn a thing or two about the perils of rising global temperatures. It's important to act before it gets too late," said Somnath Das, the general secretary of the puja committee.
It was important to sensitise people to the issue of "global warming" he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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