Pandal hopping takes centrestage in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: As the Durga Puja festivities are in full swing in the city, an evening of pandal-hopping reveals the effort put in by various committees. It's Saptami, and pandal-hopping among the faithful is all the rage. If one pandal has replicated the facade of an old Bengali naatmandir, another has the appearance of a temple, while yet another looks like a structure created with bricks! But inside the pandals, as the fragrance of sambrani (frankincense) wafts in the air, the pandal hoppers stop for a minute to pray, and then click selfies, before checking out the food and other stalls.While, the puja pandal of Cyberabad Bengali Association is an elaborate affair, the older ones like Hyderabad Bengalee Samity, Bengalee Cultural Association and Krishti Goshthi are simple.
The Durgotsav committee at Serilingampally has opted for Bengali naatmandir theme, with a blazing orange and yellow facade and three domes on top. The Goddess can be seen from the entrance itself. A member of the committee, Subrata Bagchi shares, "We do community puja and have spent around 15 lakh for the pandal. We are focusing on the traditional Bengali architecture. For the temple, we used thick cloth and bamboos." On the other hand, Hyderabad Bengali Welfare Association, Afzalgunj has the decor of Kedarnath Temple. A committee member, P K Chatterjee informs, "This is our 49th” year of puja celebration. Every year, we design our pandal based on temples. We have spent 14 lakh for this. We have used thin wood and thermocol for the facade."
A pandal hopper Sarmistha Maity is ecstatic about the pandal at Ramakrishna Math, Domalguda. She shares, "It is the ambience that I like the most. It's nice to see the Goddess installed on the stage while the devotees sit on chairs and move about in the premises to enjoy the cultural programmes." The puja is celebrated in the function hall of the math, and the Goddess' altar is the main attraction, as it is in an open space. Sumit Sen, a member says, "We always keep it simple with a budget of `3 lakh. We focus more on the cultural and community aspects and not extravagant decor."
At Cyberabad Bengali Association, Miyapur the pandal looks like a traditional brick structure. One of the members, Sumit Biswas, who conceptualized the design says, "Our budget is 15 lakh.
We planned for two months and the brick wall is made of plywood, fiber and thermocol. It took us five days to put it together." A majority of worshippers who flock here are young IT employees.
Ranjan Banerjee, who stays in Banjara Hills, prefers to visit the nearby Bengalee Cultural Association's installation at Masab Tank. He says, "The idol here has a classic look. The white glittering fabric around the mandap was soothing to the eyes as were the lighted arches in golden hues."