The Malah Toli Durga Puja Samiti this year has brought green revolution this Durga Puja. Promising to be one of crowd-puller pandals, the organisers have chosen environment protection as its theme this year.

 While the background of the pandals depict green environment, the organizers’ are distributing saplings and eco-friendly bags among pandal-hoppers during the four-day festival.

Krishna Nishad, one of the organizers’ of puja pandal said, “The Malah Toli Durga Puja is one of the oldest Puja Pandals in State Capital. We are celebrating Durga Puja for more than fifty years.

This year keeping in mind environment protection, we have given ecological protection as puja theme.” Nishad further said, “The Malah toil Durga Puja is one of the oldest Puja Pandals in State Capital. Elders such as Late Jagarnath Singh a.k.a Bhua Singh, Devi Nishad and others took a key role in starting Puja in the area. Earlier, the Puja Pandal was erected at open ground near Ajmeri Tower but with construction of high rise buildings it got shifted to Main Road.” Also at Main Road till few years back, the Pandal was huge and it used to attraction of pandal-hopper, but with fish market shifted to Dhurwa around three years back, it is being organized in smaller scale. However, despite smaller in size, the salient features of pandal are that rituals are followed in true spirit. Elders claim that Malah Toli Durga Puja Samiti following rituals is mainly residents of area having faith on Devi Mandap which is adjacent to pandal.

The Devi Mandap which is Goddess Durga temple is more than 100 years old with devotees having faith on Goddess.  Ajay Nishad, a resident of area said, “Elders who started the Puja such as Late Jagarnath Singh, Devi Nishad played a key role in renovation of Devi Mandap. As animal sacrifice is a part of some Durga puja celebrations during Navratri, the Goddess is offered sacrificial animal as part of ritual at Devi Mandap.”

As residents of area have faith of Devi Mandap many families who have shifted to other areas to make a point of visiting Devi Mandap during Navratri. Jyotsna Singh, a resident of Harmu said, “As our root is traced to Malah toil, during Navrati we make it ensure to visit Devi Mandap for worshipping Goddess. We also make animal sacrifices as per the rituals.”