durgapuja in Sambalpur

Beckoning with glittering lights and high-rise Pendals, the Euphoria of ‘Dusherra’ begins in Sambalpur town with the beginning of Durgapuja. Despite ascending in materials cost, pendals are decorated with colourful clothes to erect replica of various monuments of the country. However the Pendal builders do not feel happy with the soaring cost of wooden batten and bamboo that are mainly used for framing high-raised pendals in order to make it eye catching.

“We sustained a huge loss because of the price rise of batten and Bamboo in the recent time. Since it is my hobby and this gives me immense pleasure, I do not want to leave this work. But hardly have I got a return from this work because of the constant price rise”, pendal builder Srikrushna Rath told to TOI while describing his difficulties.

Srikrushna Rath, a local tent house owner described that he got inspire to enter in pendal building trade way back 1997 when he was reading in high school. In those days it was trade confined with in Cuttack and Kolkata traders. Since no local man was in this trade, Rath wanted to test his luck in this trade and began his career 1998 when he got an opportunity of erecting Sakhipara pendal.

“I got inspired from the daggling works that were taken place in the town by the builders of Cuttack and Kolkata when I was reading in a school in Sambalpur. Latter I got an opportunity to do this and now I work for 4 to 5 pendals at a time under my supervision”Rath told. “I do not know how long I will continue to do this work as this is no more a profitable trade”, Rath added

According to him for super finishing he brings artists and labourers from Dhenkanal for which he spends huge some on them. “Though they charge huge amount, by engaging them I can ensure the work in time”, Rath added. .

Like Rath there are few other pendal builders who thing the pendal work has no future because of the constant price rise of the materials. “Though we sustain loss in the pendal works we get some return by using the batten and bamboo in others works such as marriage decoration and VVIP galleries of various political parties. But it depends on the numbers of such work we get in a year”, another builder Bablu Dash told. “More over we do not want to cut off the relation with the members of Puja committees”, Dash added.

On the other hand the Puja committees suffer severe financial difficulties because of poor collection of chandas. Few committees have switched over to selling lottery tickets to increase Puja funds. You just can not depend on collection of donation. “We have few fixed organizations and persons who we request to give donation. But we get a huge fund from lottery works”, a member of the Govindtola puja committee told.

Sources said, Sambalpur town has more than 60/65 Pendals where Durga puja is being organized every years. Out of these, Dhanupali, Govindtola, Budharaja, Dhuturapara, Dhukupara, Laxmi talkies chowck, Aithapali chowck, Kunjelpara, Jharuapara, Sakti club are prominent among others where big budgeted puja is being organized uninterruptedly every year