Durga as doctor, Kartik as sanitation worker: Bengal pandal salutes Covid warriors

A Durga Puja pandal in Bengal's North Dinajpur has paid a rich tribute to Corona Warriors this year. The pandal has won two awards for its theme, including one from the state government.

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Durga as doctor, Kartik as sanitation worker: Bengal pandal salutes Covid warriors
The pandal has won two awards for its theme, including one from the Bengal government.

Bengal is famous for its theme-based pandals during the Durga Puja festival. Over the years, clubs in Bengal have taken up relevant social issues as themes for pandals. In line with tradition, several puja pandals have taken up the theme of Covid-19 pandemic this year. But there is one pandal in North Dinajpur which even caught the eyes of senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor for portraying Goddess Durga as a doctor.

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North Dinajpur's Islampur Adarsha Sangha paid a rich tribute to Corona Warriors this year. The club also highlighted the need to conserve the environment. The entry to the pandal began with a forest along with wild animals leading to a hospital. In the hospital, Goddess Durga dawns a doctor's uniform, with Lord Kartik as a sanitation worker, Lord Ganesha as a police officer, Goddess Saraswati as a journalist, Goddess Lakshmi as a nurse and coronavirus was shown as Asura.

Interestingly, the Goddess Durga does not have a trishula to defeat Asura. She instead has a vaccine to defeat the virus. The other weapons include an oximeter, and a saline drip needed to treat patients.

Speaking to IndiaToday.in, Raj Sahani, a member of the club said, "This year we wanted to convey the message of safety and conservation; hence we themed our pandal on the same. We made a forest at the entrance along with wild animals and birds to convey the message of conservation. At the end of the forest is the pandal which has been built after the government hospital in Islampur. We portrayed all the Gods and Goddesses as Covid Warriors."

The idol has been made by sculptors Jiten Pal and Gautam Pal. There is also a traditional idol of the Goddess for worships and prayers.

The pandal has won two awards for its theme, including one from the state government.

The images of the Durga idol went viral on social media after Shashi Tharoor shared the picture praising the theme. He tweeted the picture with the caption, "Brilliantly appropriate Covid-19-themed Durga Puja creativity from Kolkata, with the Goddess slaying the virus! Salutations to the unknown designer and sculptor."

Another club in North Dinajpur also took up coronavirus as the theme for its pandal. A club in Balurghat showed Goddess Saraswati as a nurse, Lord Kartik as lab assistant and Goddess Lakshmi as an Asha worker. At the pandal ground is a coronavirus-shaped Asura which is being killed by Goddess Durga. However, the idol meant for daily worship is a traditional one.

Themed pandals in West Bengal, particularly in Kolkata have taken social media by a storm. Recently, Barisha Club in Kolkata won the hearts of several for its Durga idol which represented the plight of migrant workers. Conceptualised by Rintu Das and sculpted by Pallab Bhowmick, the club showed the Goddess as a migrant mother.

As Bengal celebrates its biggest festival, focus is on safety and how to not let the virus spread further during the festival.