Awaiting the Arrival of Goddess Durga in Sherpur, Idol Artisans Busy Day and Night.

Shourov Odhikari Shuvo, Sherpur (Bogura) Correspondent. With Sharadiya Durga Puja ahead, final moment preparations for the festival are underway in Sherpur of Bogura. Idol-making work is now at its final stage in various puja mandaps of the upazila. After finishing the clay work, Goddess Durga and her family are taking shape with touches of colour and ornamentation. Local idol artisans are spending busy time day and night. Alongside, mandap decoration, pandal construction and lighting work are also going on in full swing. Widespread enthusiasm has been seen among the followers of Sanatan Dharma around the area centering the festival. Visiting various idol-making factories and mandaps of Sherpur upazila, artisans were seen busy with last-minute work. Some are giving touches of colour to the dried idols, while others are doing meticulous work of ornamentation on dresses. With skillful hands and talent, they are bringing out the full form of the Goddess. Srikanta Das, an idol artisan of South Shahapara Sholoana Temple of the upazila, said the work of making idols is now at the very end. After finishing the clay work, painting and decoration are now going on. To deliver all the idols to the mandaps within the scheduled time, the artisans are working day and night forgetting to eat and sleep. Several other renowned artisans are busy making idols in different areas of Sherpur. Obujh of Sokal Bazar, Tapas Tambuli of Bakultala, Chandan Sutradhar of College Road and Chand Sarkar of South Shahapara are working day and night. The artisans said, from bamboo-wooden structure to clay, paint and dress decoration — every step requires a lot of time and attention. As the puja days are approaching, the workload has increased manifold. According to upazila administration sources, rice has been allocated by the government to increase the festive spirit on the occasion of Durga Puja and to ensure overall assistance to the assembled devotees. A total of 56.400 metric tons of rice has been allocated for 94 puja mandaps of Sherpur. This rice will be distributed at 600 kg per mandap. Strict security measures are being taken in Sherpur upazila to make the festival smooth and safe. As per the instructions of the Puja Celebration Council, besides installation of CCTV cameras in the mandaps, there will be regular patrol and surveillance by law enforcement agencies. Devi Paksha will begin through Mahalaya on 10 October. Later, the main festival will begin through Shashti Puja on 16 October and will end through immersion of the Goddess on Vijaya Dashami on 21 October. The people of Sherpur are now just waiting for the time to be filled with the beats of dhak, conch sounds and worship of the Mother.