Patna: Community Durga Pujas in Patna should go beyond elaborate pandals and themes to preserve their history, promote local artisans and support social causes, members of the jury said at the concluding ceremony of The Times of India’s fourth edition of the ‘Durge Devi Namastute’ campaign on Saturday.The ceremony recognised community puja committees for their pandals, themes, ambience and idols. Readers’ choice awards were also presented in the same categories, along with prizes for quiz winners. Jury members and organisers discussed ways to make the celebrations more inclusive by blending contemporary design with traditional values.Ajay Pandey, former principal of the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna University, said traditional celebrations could embrace contemporary ideas through creative interventions. “We can imbibe contemporary ideas alongside traditional puja, which is the norm. If there are brainstorming sessions around designs and ideas, we would also be happy to participate. We should encourage greater local participation. Every pandal should have a volunteer who can explain the theme and its significance to visitors,” he said.Bhairab Lal Das, Intach state convener and a scholar of Bihar’s art, culture and history, called for documenting the heritage of puja committees. “Every pandal claims to have been organising puja for years, but there is often no documentation of its history or that of the puja samiti. If this has not been done so far, committees should start documenting it now,” he said.He also urged committees to earmark funds for social causes rather than restrict their contribution to conveying messages through themes. Citing Mumbai’s Ganpati celebrations, where initiatives have supported children’s education, he said puja committees could take up meaningful community projects beyond welfare programmes already run by the govt.Vinayak Yashraj, associate professor in the department of fashion and lifestyle accessories at NIFT Patna, described judging the campaign as an opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement. He appreciated Chajjubagh Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee for giving local artists a special place. “Local art and culture, along with Bihar’s traditions, should be upheld and nurtured from within the state,” he said.“We have consistently won awards, and that makes us very proud. The lighting was a special highlight this year. It is always a delight to participate in this event every year,” said Ravi of Shri Shri Durga Puja Mahotsava, Shiv Mandir, Khajpura.Sudipa Ghosh of Chajjubagh Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee said the organisers would work on improving the ambience and themes in future editions. “We appreciated the judges’ feedback on documentation. We need to understand and preserve the history of our pandal and idols. Promoting grassroots-level folk artists is also important, and we will continue working towards it,” she said.
