Senior Correspondent.TOD.Balurghat
Once, the Atreyee River flowed powerful current, sustaining the lives and livelihoods of communities along its banks. Boats carried fishermen across its waters, nets brought in a variety of fish, and the river shaped the rhythms of daily life. Today, as its waters recede and native fish species become increasingly scarce, memories of that lost abundance are finding an unexpected home at a Durga Puja pandal in Balurghat.Shibtali Club, preparing for its 53rd annual Durga Puja celebration, has chosen “Prabahini,” or “The Flowing One,” as this year’s theme.
With an estimated budget of 700,000 rupees, the installation seeks to recreate a fragment of the Atreyee’s past, drawing attention to the changing river and the communities whose lives have long depended on it.The pandal will feature sandbanks, boats, sails and scenes depicting the everyday lives of boatmen and fishermen. The displays will also highlight the rivers and creeks of South Dinajpur district, bringing together the region’s diverse waterways in a tribute to its natural and cultural heritage.
One of the central elements will be the Raykhor, a once-prized local fish that has become increasingly difficult to find. Its dwindling presence serves as a reminder of the ecological changes affecting the river and the gradual disappearance of a familiar part of the region’s culinary and fishing traditions.The river’s influence will extend to the principal attraction itself. The Durga idol is being fashioned in the style of an ancient sculpture recovered from the Atreyee. Other sculptures found in the river will also be displayed at the pandal, linking the festival’s religious traditions with the historical treasures of the surrounding landscape.
Another planned attraction will depict the worship of the goddess with lamps lit on the river, bringing together the spiritual significance of Durga Puja and the community’s enduring relationship with water.Artist Sudip Saha is responsible for conceptualizing and executing the overall theme, while Papai Pal is creating the idol. Alongside elaborate lighting, the club has planned cultural programmes for the festival.For Shibtali Club, “Prabahini” is intended to be more than an elaborate seasonal spectacle. By recreating the boats, fishermen and vanishing fish of the Atreyee, the organizers hope to revive memories of a river that once stood at the centre of local life.In a festival devoted to the triumph of good over evil, the pandal offers a quieter reflection: the story of a river, its people and a way of life slowly slipping away.
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