A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Silchar largely passed through the Durga Puja festivities peacefully, marred only by a few minor incidents and the tragic death of a young woman in a road accident. However, the failure to declare a ‘Dry Day’ on Dashami (immersion day) led to massive crowds overflowing at wine shops, drawing sharp criticism from numerous social activists against the administration.
On Wednesday, a total of 253 idols were immersed. Notably, the first day’s immersions stretched through the night and continued well into the next morning, with the final idol of the first phase being immersed at 6:30 am on Thursday. A second evening of immersions is underway on Thursday, with over 100 Puja committees still awaiting idol clearance.
The age-old struggles persisted at the ghats, idols being dragged using bamboo poles, with a single large idol taking ten to fifteen minutes just at the riverbank.
In the initial days of the puja, crowds rushed towards Udharband. Three Puja pandals in Udharband implemented a coupon system, which sparked controversy alongside drawing overwhelming public footfall. Within Silchar, massive crowds thronged the greater Bilpar area alongside ‘Aponjon.’
However, defying expectations, medium and small-budget pujas outshone several big-budget counterparts, with Rangirkhari’s Daylight Club and Chandi Charan Road Sarbojanin Durga Puja Committee stealing the show. Daylight Club’s interior depicted a mirror to contemporary times—portraying harsh current realities while offering a message of hope: ‘It won’t happen in a day, but it will happen one day.’ Meanwhile, Chandi Charan Road triumphed by breaking tradition. Instead of the traditional Goddess Dashabhuja (ten-armed mother), they featured a ten-armed father as their core theme, drawing unprecedented crowds.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Silchar on Ashtami to witness the celebrations, visiting several pandals, including the Silchar Ramakrishna Mission.