Dhak Mahotsav 2015 at ITC Sonar

With Rupa Ganguly, Sri Keshari Nath Tripathi and Dev

October 14, 2015: Last week I was in Kolkata preparing for various functions of Puja. On October 10^th evening I attended the dinner at Crystal Hall, Taj Bengal, to meet and greet Dr Shashi Tharoor and Mr Omar Abdullah, thanks to Imran Zaki for inviting me.

On Sunday (October 11) the much-awaited Durga Puja of Manicktalla Chaltabagan was flagged off by the Governor of West Bengal, His Excellency, Shri Keshri Nath Tripathi, today afternoon with the inauguration of Dhak Mahotsav 2015 at the ITC Sonar's Sunderban Lawns. 
This year the chief guest was Bengal's leading actor Dev and the event was in association with Kutchina and ITC Sonar.
The dhak mahotsav event has become a signature event of Kolkata pujas.

Like the past Governors, the present Governor too, for the second year in succession, started his Puja campaign in the city from our event by playing the traditional dhak (drum) of Bengal with leading drummers and tabla exponents Bickram Ghosh and Tanmoy Bose.
Like earlier years, the novelty of dhak mahotsav event this year was the strong attendance of celebrities, diplomats, industrialists and performing artistes and musicians of national repute along with a strong media presence. 
I was wondering if it'd might rain today but surprisingly it turned out to be a very sunny and painfully hot for an outdoor event. The dhak mahotsav also had display of traditional dhunuchi naach.

This is the 73rd Puja celebrations of Manicktalla Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja. This year's theme is the amalgam of tradition and modernity conveying an environment-friendly message of “Sustainable Development” and the use of bio-degradable materials like coconut shells for decorating a pandal in the shape of a huge earthen lamp.

On 25 September, 2015, 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2020 Development Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The use of environment-friendly coconout is in keeping with the spirit of the new UN agenda of SDGs.

With Utsav Parekh, Atul Bhalla and Mrs Nilangi Parekh

Master craftsman Sutanu Maity and his team of artisans from Digha and Contai have been working for the past five months to create decorative items out of coconut shells to be used in decorating the puja pandal of Chaltabagan Durga Puja.
The artisans have demonstrated how the environment-friendly coconut shells can be used as spectacular art work for decorating the puja pandal.
A series of events like the Puja Parikrama for the senior citizens of Kolkata and Sindoor Khela will be organized and hosted by Chaltabagan Durga Puja.
I shall be leaving for overseas today and will try to return before pujas.
ess bee