Durga Puja: Mamata Banerjee shares pictures from Durga Puja inaugural ceremonies.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated 11 Durga Puja pandals in south Kolkata on Monday. "What a joy," she wrote on Twitter, sharing pictures of the grand Durga puja pandals and ceremonies.
"Delighted to share some vignettes of Durga pujo from last evening. Warmest greetings and best wishes to all my brothers and sisters," the Chief Minister said.
Ms Banerjee had visited community Durga Puja pandals on Sunday as well and had shared pictures of the inauguration ceremonies.
"The countdown to Durga Puja our biggest festival has begun. Like every year I visited a few community Durga Puja pandals. Here are some moments from today's inaugurations. It feels great to see everyone get ready to celebrate the much awaited festivities. Best wishes to all," she wrote, along with some pictures of her visiting the pandals.
On Mahalaya, the homecoming of Godess Durga, which was celebrated on Saturday, Ms Banerjee had wished everyone on the "beginning of Devipokkho".
The Durga Puja festivities will begin on Panchami, October 3, Thursday, and would continue till Vijaya Dashami, October 8, Tuesday. For these five days, devotees gather in Durga Puja pandals, worship the Goddess and enjoy cultural programs before the idols are immersed on Vijay Dashami.
This year, many initiatives are being taken in Bengal for an environment-friendly Durga Puja. The pollution watchdog in the state has prohibited use of synthetic paint or colour containing toxic metals like mercury, cadmium, and lead for idols. There are also restrictions on use of loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am, with a total ban on Disk Jockeys (DJs) during idol immersion.
A mobile app, "Poribesh" has also been launched to generate awareness on green norms among Durga puja organisers.