Chaltabagan puja inauguration

Night view of Chaltabagan Durga Puja

Saturday, October 1, 2011: Chaltabagan Puja is all over the news today. This year the pandal was an eye-catcher and really turned out well. 

The lighting of the pandal, which is made of glass and the work of cellophane and bangles, added to the extraordinary ambience and was much appreciated.

Yesterday, all my guests, including Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare (picture) artist Suvaprasanna, actress Arpita Chatterjee, film director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, theatre artist Suman Mukhopadhyay, industrialist Mannoj Kumar Jain, local MLA Smita Bakshi (picture), Minister for Consumer Affairs Sadhan Pandey.

Also present were US Consul General Dean R Thompson and his wife Jane and other dignitaries and friends attended the inauguration.

The Governor M K Narayanan distributed books and clothes to the needy and said in his speech that all the puja committees should contribute towards the relief work in the wake of the recent earthquake. 

He thanked me for contributing towards the same cause (picture).

This morning I went to the Tollygunge Police Station to flag off the Puja Darshan of Pronam members. 

Police Commissioner R K Pachnanda (picture), Debasish Roy Additional CP (IV), Sanjay Singh Special Additional CP and Joint CP (AP) and D P Singh, DC South, were also present.

Few of the senior citizens got very emotional as they were very much overwhelmed with the efforts of the Kolkata Police and The Bengal are extending them through the Pronam Project work.

ess bee