TEZPUR, Oct 15 - Tezpur and its outskirts are wearing a festive look since the day of Mahalaya while several places, including Bhairabi mandir, besides other domestic and community puja spots in the Tezpur town, are vibrating with the chanting of Vedic mantras. This time Durga Puja is being celebrated by more than 160 puja committees who have set up attractively decorated pandals.
The Youngstar Club, which has been associated with the 25-year-old Bhairab Nagar Tila Puja is trying to spread the message of saving the world famous one-horned rhino as well as other wild life and the nature through their beautifully decorated pandal. Likewise, the members of Durgabari Puja Association near Darrang College under the initiative of artist Biplab Das have readied their puja pandal using the japi and gamosa. Meanwhile, the Harisabha Puja that has this time attained 75 years of its celebration.
On the otherhand, the first family Puja in the Tezpur celebrated by the renowned Mukherjee family has this time stepped into 155 years.
Moreover, the historic family pujas of Gangacharan Bhattacharya of Kolibari, Gangaram Das of Tol Gereki area, the 73-year-old Durga Puja of noted freedom fighter Mahadev Sharma (who started the puja inside Tezpur Jail during the Quit India Movement when he was jailed), the 49-year-old Durga Puja of Iswar Prashad Chowdhury at Ganeshghat are also attracting the people.
Besides, the Rudrapal Samittee Durga Puja, the community puja performed jointly by the Bengali and Assamese people which has been going on since 1895 at the Bengali Theatre Hall, the Ban Theatre Durga Puja that started in 1909, the Kamrupia Sanatan Dharma Mandali Puja which started in 1928, the old Ban Theatre Durga Puja at Kolibari, Marwari Panchayat Dharmashala Durga Puja, Ram Krishna Sevasram Durga Puja, Mahabhairab Haribilash Durga Puja, Rubber Bagan Chandimandap Durga Puja, Madhya Para Dakhina Kali Mandir Durga Puja, 102-year-old Dipota Kendryia Natya Mandir Durga Puja and Milonpur Durga Puja committees are also among the pujas that are all set to attract the people.
The district administration, nature lover Saurav Barkataki among the common socially-aware denizens here have urged all concerned, including the puja committees and the common citizens, to celebrate a clean and green puja by cooperating with the administration. When contacted, Additional SP, Sonitpur, Numal Mahata said that all arrangements have been made to ensure security of the people.
