The spot which houses the Durga Puja pandal of Shib Mandir in south Kolkata will draw visitors again this Tuesday. For the first time, a huge paper lantern (fanush) will be released in the air to mark the start of the local rath yatra.
“We installed a Jagannath idol at our Shib Mandir in 2016. The rath yatra started the year after, when a devotee gifted us a 12ft chariot manufactured at his iron pipe factory,” said Partha Ghosh, general secretary of the temple committee, which organises and lends its name to the Durga puja as well.
The rath yatra in the densely residential locality sees many residents, including elderly neighbours, come in advance and wait to pull the chariot. “We thought the flying of the fanush will make the wait entertaining,” Ghosh said.
A 72-year-old veteran paper lantern-maker has been piecing the fanush together for over a week now. “He wanted to make three on the three divine siblings. Since we took the decision just eight days back leaving him very little time, we decided to go with just a big Jagannath fanush,” Ghosh said.
Pradyot Kumar Mallik has been making paper lanterns for about six decades now. The man from Hatibagan has made paper lanterns on various other occasions, like football tournaments, khuti puja and sundry fairs, but this will be his first for Rath Yatra.
“Flying of fanush is becoming very difficult in the city because of the mesh of wires and cables on roads. The spot they have chosen is relatively free, though only just,” said Mallik.
The 11.5ft paper lantern is black and with the distinctively circular, lidless eyes of Lord Jagannath painted on it. “We will release the lantern at 4.30pm, while the chariot will start rolling around 5pm,” Ghosh said.
