This Durga Puja, mid-day tells you how to pandal-hop like a pro!

Rooted in traditionOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088Bombay Durgabadi Trust 87th year of celebrationBombay Durga Bari Samiti is one of the oldest Durga Pujas ofMumbai dating back to 1930 This yearrsquos theme is based on the Bengalis saying Dhana Dhanya Sasya Purno Basundhra It refers to Ma Durga being in the middle of a field blessing all of us with sonar dhaan golden paddy and the fields are covered with kash flowersThe idol atacircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088Tejpal Hall dressed in traditional shola work PICSuresh KarkeraldquoThe figures at the pandal are made of dhaan and the decoration is created with paddy and kash flowers found in rural Bengalrdquo says Sushmita Mitra Chairperson of the Social amp Cultural Committee Cultural programmes will showcase a devotional tribute to Shakti and Shiva in Classical Oddissi Dance performed by the girls of Adruta Childrensrsquo Home BhubaneshwarTill October 11 At Tejpal Hall Gowalia Tank Near August Kranti MaidanFor star gazingOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja 69th yearIn 1947 few Bengalis from Santa Cruz approached Padmashri Sasadhar Mukerji requesting him to start a Durga Puja The Pujo was first was held in Shri Mandal Hall in Santa Cruz and today will celebrate its 69th year Over the years this Puja has only grown biggerBappi Lahiri with son Bappa at the North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga PujaldquoInitially the Bhog was served by family members with the devotees seated on the floor today they are served on the table in an airconditioned environmentrdquo says actress Sharbani Mukherji who spearheads the puja with musician Bappa Lahiri The starstudded family that serves the bhog includes actresses Kajol and Rani MukerjildquoThis is my family puja I have been coming here for ages Myparents were regulars here toordquo says composer Bappi Lahiri who will also perform in Kandivali this year ldquoI also have fond memories of the Shivaji Park pujardquo Cultural progammes include performances by family members Alisha Chinai Bappi Lahiri Kavita Krishnamurthy Shaan and SajidWajidTill October 11 At Hotel Tulip Star VM Road JuhuFrom Kolkata with loveOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088Spadan Foundation Powai 4th yearThis young Pujo was started four years ago by inhabitants of Powai The idol has been made by Shri Shish Paul amp Sons a famous idol maker from Kolkata It is designed in the traditional ekchala fashion all the idols in the same platformThe goddess is mounted by a craftsman at the Spadan Foundation pandal in PowaildquoWe are partnering with Dignity Foundation who will help senior citizens showcase their talentrdquo says commitee member Indranil Ghosh Cultural programmes will include performances by an in house band Bollywood Singer Nakaash Aziz and Tirtho Baul Sa Re Ga Ma fameTill October 11At 6D Orchard Ave Rd MHADA Colony 19 PowaiTake a trip to ShobhabazaarOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088New Bombay Bengali Association 37th yearIn 1980 50 families from New Bombay got together and started this puja with a budget of Rs 14 lakhs This year the pandal recreates an ecofriendly version of the Shobhabazar Rajbari a zamindarrsquos house in Kolkata The commitee aims to feed 15000 people at the bhog ceremonyLast minute preparations at the New Bombay Bengali Association Puja PicSneha KharabeldquoWe are expecting a footfall of over a lakhrdquo says Ajay Banerjee one of the organisers of the puja Cultural programmes will include performances by Kolkatabased dance group Banhishikha Bollywood singers Antara Mitra and Kavita Krishnamurthy Till October 11At Vashi sector 1 Behind Vashi marketRecreating rural BengalOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088Chembur Durga Puja Association 62nd year Started in 1954 this Pandal has interesting themes every year ldquoThis year a team of artists from Bengal will replicate a temple in rural Bengalrdquo says commitee member Debu Sengupta The pandal hopes to serve bhog a delicious serving of Khichdi a mix of rice and lentils Labda mixed vegetable Begun Bhaja eggplant fry Payesh kheer and mishti sweet to atleast 4000 peopleA craftsman dresses up the idol at the Chembur pandal PicDatta KumbharThe food stalls will serve specialities like chops and fish fry Cultural programmes will feature Bengali artistes from Kolkata as well as local ones and will include a dance ballet by Odissi dance exponent Swapnokolpa Dasgupta and her troupe and songs by Trijoy Deb and Somchanda Bhattacharya Till October 11At Chembur High School Grounds Chembur NakaFor nostalgiarsquos sakeOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088The Bengal Club 81st yearOne of Mumbairsquos oldest pandals The Bengal Clubrsquos puja has been part of sweet childhood memories for most probashi nonresident Bengalis in the city Located beside the Ram Leela festivities held on Shivaji Park grounds the pandal has always had a cosmopolitan audience The idols are always made using ecofriendly material like mud and special water soluble chemical free paintsA painter gives the final touch to the idol at The Bengal Club Durga Puja Shivaji Park PicDatta KumbharThe tableau will be adorned in traditional deacutecor of shola a white coloured extract of plant Aeschynomene aspera a herbaceous plant that grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas and golden ornaments The 12 feet tall idol will be dressed in a red Benarasi saree This year however the puja will not host itrsquos customary stalls selling food clothes accessories books Bengali films and music and neither will it serve bhog or host cultural programmesldquoUnder the previous puja commitee many violations were made due to which this year the BMC has refused us permission We only have enough space to put up the idol Even the entance canrsquot be covered due to the rules We will be better prepared next yearrdquo rues General Secretary Bibek Bagchi The probashi Bengali diaspora will surely miss the revelry of one of its favourite pandalsTill October 11At Shivaji Park MaidanFor glitz and glamourOrganiseracircAcircu00c2u0080Acircu00c2u0088Lokhandwala Durga Puja Association 35th yearKnown for its high glamour quotient celebrity spotting and extravagant settings created by art director Bijon DasGupta this Puja is one of the cityrsquos most popular ones The pandal also sees performances by some of Bollywoodrsquos biggest names every eveningDhakis play traditional drums at the Lokhandwala Durga Puja PicSatej ShindeEstablished in 1996 the puja is helmed by playback singer Abhijit Bhattacharya Lalit Das heads the group of internationally ndash renowned dhakis traditonal drum players which is one of the highlights of the puja Till October 11At Lokhandwala Garden Lokhandwala Durga Puja Ground Andheri W