Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari urges traditional Durga Puja celebrations
The chief minister calls for adherence to Sanatani traditions and neighbourhood spirit, and announces plans to honour Mahalaya voice Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Kolkata, Oct 12 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday called upon Durga Puja organisers to uphold traditional religious practices and spiritualism during the festival, urging them to avoid unhealthy competition and preserve the neighbourhood spirit of the celebrations.
Inaugurating the Tala Prottoy Durga Puja in north Kolkata, Adhikari called for a renewed emphasis on spiritualism and said the goddess should be worshipped in accordance with Sanatani traditions.
He also recited hymns and shlokas in praise of Durga.
The chief minister cautioned against "unhealthy competition" among Puja organisers and said the state government, along with agencies such as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the police, were working to ensure smooth celebrations across the state.
"I commend the organisers to recreate a homely, neighbourhood atmosphere in this Puja," he told the Tala Prottoy organisers in the presence of local BJP MLA Ritesh Tewari.
At the inauguration of Chorbagan Sarbojanin, around 2 km away, Adhikari again called for adherence to 'shastriya parampara' (scripture-based traditions).
The event was also attended by Kartik Maharaj, a monk associated with the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Beldanga.
"Spiritualism and 'parampara' should guide us this Puja," Adhikari said, adding that the BJP government was committed to ensuring that Durga Puja was observed in accordance with these traditions.
Accusing the previous TMC and Left Front governments of failing to give due recognition to the man behind the iconic recital of 'Mahishasura Mardini', which heralds the advent of Devipaksha and the end of Pitrupaksha, Adhikari said a road would be named after Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Bhadra’s voice, songs and recitations have been associated with Mahalaya celebrations across generations of listeners.
"Many governments came, but during our Mahalaya show at Eden Gardens, we gave due recognition to his family and descendants," Adhikari said, adding that Bhadra’s ancestral house would also be renovated appropriately.
The CM also inaugurated a Durga Puja in the city's Kankurgachi area where the deity was placed at a Saraswati and Kali temple set up by Biswajit Sarkar, whose brother Abhijit was killed allegedly by miscreants sheltered by Trinamool Congress after the 2021 assembly poll results. PTI