New Delhi, Sept. 26 -- The Mahalaya celebrations at Eden Gardens on October 10 will take Bengal's biggest festival far beyond its traditional home, putting Durga Puja on the global stage in a spectacular first.
The mega cultural extravaganza will beam live to New York's Times Square, London's Piccadilly Circus and Dubai's Burj Khalifa, carrying the sights, sounds and spirit of Bengal's Durga Puja to audiences across the world.
Before the grand event gets underway at Eden Gardens, PM Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari are expected to take part in a roadshow. The two leaders are also expected to make a joint tour of the stadium field in a special golf cart, formally kicking off the celebrations.
The four-hour spectacle will then unfold before audiences at major global hubs, with the entire extravaganza beamed live on massive digital screens, taking Bengal's Mahalaya celebrations to some of the world's most iconic public spaces.
The event will feature a massive gathering of up to 15,000 traditional drummers (dhakis) performing simultaneously, along with thousands of women welcoming the festive season (Devipaksha) with traditional conch shell blowing and ululation. Attendees and viewers will witness cutting-edge 3D projection-mapping displays, fireworks, and a record-breaking drone light show forming Durga-themed patterns in the night sky.
Celebrated musical artists such as Shreya Ghoshal, Kumar Sanu, Shaan, and Kaushiki Chakraborty will perform live.The Prime Minister will virtually inaugurate five major Durga pujas across Kolkata, including Sribhumi Sporting and Santosh Mitra Square, directly from the stadium venue.
The West Bengal government aims to create a world record through a grand celebration at Eden Gardens on Mahalaya, designed as a colossal prelude to the Durga Puja festivities. CM Suvendu Adhikari will also virtually inaugurate 10,000 Durga Puja inaugurations across different parts of the state from Eden.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.