The Telegraph (continued)

The Telegraph Hand In Hand
The mild fragrance of ‘Shiuli’ is all over the city. The ‘Dhakis’ are ready to take over Calcutta with their pulsating rhythms and beats. It’s time again. Ma Durga is arriving. Consisting of a series of rituals, this five day long home coming welcome of Ma Durga is close to every Bengali’s heart and soul. It means much more to us than just an age-old, traditional, religious festival. It’s a social, cultural and entertainment extravaganza, a season for reunion and rejuvenation. A time when the entire city of joy explodes into a shopping, eating and socialising frenzy, irrespective of the social and economic barriers.

Apart from the eye-catching, spectacular pandals and lightings of Calcutta’s renowned ‘Para’ Pujas, quite a few apartments in the city also have their own Pujas. And the residents of the apartments spend a majority of their time at their apartment pandals, working ‘hand in hand’, organising it with their neighbours, friends and relatives. Herein lies the importance of The Telegraph Hand in Hand, a special event organised for the apartment residents of Calcutta by The Telegraph. The organisers reach out to more than 100 apartments and the intra-apartment ‘friendly war’ kicks off with a series of enthralling contests like Antakshari, Sit & Draw, Spot Quizzes, Recipe contest, Dhunuchi Naach, Shreeman Shreemati and many more.