As every year, big budget Durga Pujas in Malda have left no stone unturned to have a variety of themes for their pujas this year too.

Though rains affected pandal-construction and decoration in the run-up to the state’s greatest festival, the downpour did not dampen puja committees’ and workers’ power to think and come up with novel ideas.

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From the castle of Rani Padmavat of Chitorgarh and the Puri Temple, and a symbol of the woman as a source of power have all been used as themes for pujas this year.

One puja also depicts the mother and her relation with her offspring during old age.

The Shanti Bharati Parishad of Banshbari area has put up the castle with a traditional idol made by Sajal Pandit, a renowned idol artist of the district.

Cartoons have also been displayed through lightings brought from Chandannagar in Hooghly.

“The Chitorgarh castle has been made by Kolkata-based artisans for the club’s 57th puja this year,” a puja committee member said.

Another big budget puja of the Golapatty Kishor Sangha has built a replica of the temple of Puri with fibre glass work in it.

The interior and the idol look as if they were made of marble. The 120th puja this year of the club also has a digital lighting system.

Very interestingly, Vivekanada Krira Chakra of the No-3 Government Colony, a club known to have come up with several innovative themes in the past, has taken up ants as their theme this year.

The entire pandal has been decorated with models of ants. “Ants die when their wings come out~there is this saying in Bengali, denoting that pride is the main reason for somebody’s downfall, and this is what the pandal plans to propogate this year,” said a member of the puja committee there.

This club is celebrating its 55th puja with a budget of Rs 7 lakh, it is learnt.

On the other hand, Abhijatri Sangha of Gayeshpur has the ‘power of women’ as its theme, and Aneek Sangha of the No-1 Government Colony has showcased Lord Shri Krishna as the ‘cowboy of dreams’ in their puja with various models of Krishna.

However, the theme of Dilip Smriti Sangha of the ‘mother in an old age home’ has already grabbed attention of many in the district. “Mothers in their old age are sent to old age homes, undermining their love, affection and passion, the theme which once held in one popular Bengali song by singer and composer, Nachiketa, is actually the inspiration for this puja,” a member of the puja organising team of the club said.

Though Malda people had to impatiently wait for the rains to stop, and when the downpour actually stopped, the puja organisers who hurriedly completed the remaining work have not let down visitors, as every pandal promises something different and innovative this year.