Noida societies plan Durga Puja with alponas and themed pandals

A 600-foot alpona runs through Sector 137, where the Sarbojanin Puja Samiti has brought together residents of eight housing societies for its Durga Puja celebrations. Organisers describe it as the longest traditional folk-art installation of its kind in Delhi-NCR. They expect more than 1,500 residents to contribute daily to the afternoon bhoj and estimate peak-day footfall at over 35,000.

In Sector 62, Sarbojonin Puja Samiti is marking its 25th year with a 190-foot-by-30-foot street alpona and a pandal entry gate modelled on the ISKCON temple at Mayapur. The programme runs from October 16 to 21 and involves residents from more than 40 cooperative housing societies and apartment complexes.

Other celebrations include Srijoni Cultural Society’s rural Bengal-themed pandal in Sector 119, Lotus Boulevard Sanskritik Samity’s 10th Puja in Sector 100, and Purbahno Bengali Cultural Association’s 12th-year event at Prateek Laurel in Sector 120. Lotus Boulevard Sanskritik Samity opened its festival with elders from Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram and plans to donate medicines, clothing and other essentials to the home.