Chattogram is all set to celebrate Sharadiya Durga Puja, the largest festival of Bengali Hindus, with preparations complete across the city and upazilas. Shopping malls remain crowded as families purchase new clothes, a tradition for the occasion. Rajasree Dutta, seen shopping at Teri Bazar, shared that she buys clothes for her entire family every year.
Selim Jahangir, proprietor of Naofa Fashion Boutiques at Apollo Shopping Centre, said sales in his shop were gaining a momentum ahead of Durga Puja. Nitai Prasad Ghosh, president of Chattogram District Puja Udjapan Parishad, said that the Durga Puja will be celebrated at 2,122 mandaps this year, down from 2,190 last year due to financial constraints. Artisans are now busy giving final touches to the idols.
They usually work in their workshops that are traditionally known as Pratimaloys. Paresh Paul is the chief artisan of Shib Durga Mrit Shilpaloy, a Pratimaloy located in Chatteshwari Road area. Visiting his workshop on Tuesday, it was seen that idols of the deities Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh were being made in the workshop.
Paresh said it takes eight to 10 days to complete the work of making a set of Idols for Durga puja. "I lead a team of six members and we complete 12 sets of idols on average during the festival season," he said. Chattogram's Deputy Commissioner, Farida Khanam, assured that the district administration has taken all necessary steps to ensure a peaceful and harmonious celebration.
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