Eco-friendly Durga Puja celebrations at Gulshan-Banani puja mandap

Sustainability is no more a requirement, but rather a necessity. As we progress into modern times, sustainable architecture has become a phenomenon among practitioners. It is implemented in more sectors than we could have ever imagined. And with that thought, we envisioned the design for this year's Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation's Puja Mandap.

Durga Puja is an integral part of Hindus all around the world and the moment we speak of Puja mandap, we tend to think of larger-than-life pandals, unique props and colossal production design, said a press release.

Dhaka is no different and every year Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundationtries to commission something exceptional for the city dwellers.

This year particularly has been challenging for everyone. The global recession and political unrest around the world have affected us immensely. It is a celebration for all. We welcome Durga Maa wholeheartedly to bring peace and health around the world. Hence, Ar Tapos Kumar Roy initiated the concept of "moving back to our roots". An eco-friendly approach which signifies our ethnicity and takes us back to our roots.

"This year our team had a very small budget overall to work with compared to our previous years. Given the financial and economic situation we were happy to work within these limitations," says Roy, who is the chief convener and executive committee member of the Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation.

When Partha Pratim Saha first presented the concept and idea, we started to visualise the idea through an innovative and pragmatic attitude. This took us on a journey to search for indigenous materials, local artisans and craftsmen, and to mainly focus on our mrit shilpo, paath shilpo and hosto shilpo. We wanted to curate something which was aesthetically pleasing while being a statement for us.

A vast team of decorators, carpenters, local artisans, and contractors alongside Partha, and under the design and guidance of Tapos have relentlessly worked for the past 15-20 days to bring their vision to a reality.

As we inaugurate our mandap and welcome Devi Maa Durga through our Bodhon ceremony, we are eager to reveal our final work to the people. To everyone's astonishment, we have completely discarded the use of plastic and thermo-col at this year's puja design and production. We have replaced all paint works with reusable fabric. The entire structure had an ample amount of bamboo, jute, rope, and shitol pati. Certain areas had usage of ply boards which we have consciously included.

We portrayed a fresh concept, which is environmentally conscious, recyclable and reusable, we strongly believe it is a first of its kind in Dhaka. Given our grameen kutir shilpo is indispensable it needs more exposure and promotion.

We owe our teams and our suppliers all the credit, as their handwork and dedication has helped make a breakthrough in this industry. The ingenious minds of Ar Tapos Kumar Roy and Partha Pratim Saha, have given us the opportunity to witness and celebrate an exceptional Durga Puja festival.