With the global economic downturn, it would be strange if the Durga Pujas remain unaffected by it. But it seems that the financial crunch has only hit the small para clubs rather than the big and famous ones, which are not thinking of slashing their budgets.

Sixty six-year-old Ekdalia Evergreen Puja in south Kolkata, patronised by Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee, has kept its budget intact.

“Prices of several things have gone up. We might have to increase our budget too,” says Goutam Mukherjee, secretary of the Puja committee. In 2008, their budget was approximately Rs 20 lakh.

Same holds true for the 43-year-old Behala Nutan Dal Puja in south Kolkata. The club, famous for its themes and elaborate detailing, often enhanced by concrete and permanent structures, has in fact increased its budget from Rs 14 lakh last year to Rs 18 lakh. “We are not going to compromise. Since we had set the budget almost a year ago, we have been working towards collecting the money all year round,” says Sandipan Banerjee, convener of the Puja committee.

The club has employed agencies and has been aggressively using personal networking to bring in money for the Puja. However, all is not rosy with the smaller neighbourhood clubs and organizations that put together para baroari Pujas (small Pujas). Deepak Saha, the secretary of Naktala Pally Unnayan Samiti in south Kolkata, is struggling to collect even the small budget of Rs 4.5 lakh. “We had no problem arranging the money last year. But this time, it has become a little difficult. More because individual subscriptions from locals hardly increase,” says Saha. Adding to it, is the paucity of sponsors.

... contd.