Adjudged Best Puja: Puja at Sluice Gate

We went to this Puja in Phatisil Ambari on Ashtami at 2am in the morning in an effort to beat the rush. We didn't succeed. But then, if a Puja is adjudged winner in multiple categories, the rush is very much expected and one has to  brace herself with an extra dose of bravery.

The awards won

The peculiarity of this Pandal (made in inspiration of a temple) was the fact that it was made entirely of Plume Grass or what we call in Assamese, kohua-bonn.

Board providing information on Plume Grass

 The decor inside looked that of a magnificent wooden palace, complete with art on the walls and ceilings and a huge chandelier in the middle.

Inside the temple

Against the warm wooden colors stood the idols in regal attire with a backdrop of the Himalayas. It was simple, brilliant.

Devi

I should not forget to mention that it had some pretty weird stuff in the playground, like the dancing skeleton, the Frankenstein-lookalike monster coming out of his grave with a shrill laugh and a podium with moving 'statues' of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika (which looked anything but Dr. Hazarika) and his crew singing (re:blaring) his evergreen hits.

What was weirder was the arrangement of sorts in the nearby Pragjyotish College dedicated to '100 years of Titanic' (seriously?!). And if a moving toy-ship hitting an ice-berg with dialogues of the Captain, Jack and Rose in Hindi is not enough, they played Celine Dion's My Heart will go on during intervals! It was jam-packed. Apparently, people still dig Titanic. I fled from the scene. Hence, no photos!

What I did click was a galli-ka-puja (on the way to Phatasil Ambari) wherein the people dressed up like gods and stood on stage for 5mins every 15mins! It was an amateurish attempt but I enjoyed. The Ganesh with his trunk and Mahishashur with his grey painted body was real, but what fascinated me was the lion... that was also a man in costume!... and you know the lion did a good job when your mom is astonished at its mention and gasps, "What! There was a man in there?! I didn't notice!"

Is that owl real?