Kolkata, 17 August: On the eve of the 80th Independence Day, actor Rituparna Sengupta, musician Bickram Ghosh, brand strategist Suhel Seth, industrialist Shishir Bajoria and Vijay Ojha, MLA, joined Chairman Sundeep Bhutoria for the Khuti Puja of 84th Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja.
The Khuti Puja was hosted by Sundeep Bhutoria, chairman of the iconic Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee alongside committee officials – Ashok Jaiswal, President, Rajesh Bihani, Vice Chairman, and Rajesh Jaiswal, Secretary. Shishir Bajoria, President Inauguration Committee 2026 of Chaltabagan Durga Puja joined in.
“Durga Puja is Bengal’s greatest act of collective imagination. The Khuti Puja is where our year truly begins. For 84 years this puja has belonged to the neighbourhood as much as to the Committee, and it is that shared ownership we carry into the months of preparation ahead,” said Sundeep Bhutoria.
Actor Rituparna said, “Khuti Puja marks the beginning of the festival closest to every Bengali’s heart. We will celebrate the Pujas together by spreading love and the spirit of togetherness.”
Shishir Bajoria, said this year’s Durga Puja would be different as it would showcase a blending of “Sanatani rituals and tradition” with festivity. “Durga Puja will be celebrated not merely as a festivity, but with a greater emphasis on Sanatani rituals and traditions. I hope the rituals and festivities will beautifully coexist, preserving both the spiritual essence and the celebratory spirit of the festival,” he said.
BJP MLA, Vijay Ojha, said, “This year marks a new beginning and a departure from the political culture that has been cultivated in the state over the past 50 years.”