Navratri, Durga celebrations to get bigger and better this year

Several mandals to host functions at five-star hotels; will also invite celebrities

MUMBAI: Some Navratri and Durga Puja celebrations will move to five-star hotels and other upscale venues this year. They will also host appearances by celebrities.
An artist paints an eco-friendly statue of Goddess Durga at a workshop in Dadar. (Right) Workers prepare for Durga Puja at a suburban hotel. The North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja Samity will move to a former five-star hotel at Juhu from October 20 when Durga Puja begins.
“We wanted to move to a bigger location this time since our earlier venue at Balkanji Bari in Santacruz was too small to accommodate the over one lakh visitors who come for the puja every year,” said secretary Debu Mukherjee.
The new venue will offer a one-lakh square foot area to the organisers and also have airconditioned halls. “Our expenses have tripled and so will our insurance, but we are still in the process of chalking out the details,” said Mukherjee.

In Vashi, the Sarvajanik Vashi Durga Puja will have many celebrity guests, including actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is slated to perform on October 23. “We have made complete security arrangements, including dog squads and CCTV cameras,” said president Asit Ghosh.
Mangal Entertainment Private Limited, which will host singer Falguni Pathak at Goregaon Sports Club, has taken an insurance cover of Rs4.5 crore. “We will have an ambulance and a fire brigade at the venue and a team of 200 members on the ground to ensure complete security. Our insurance will also cover public liability among other clauses,” said organiser Gaurav Kothari.
Organisers at Shivaji Park’s Bengal Club Durga Puja and at Naidu Club mandal in Kora Kendra, Borivli, have increased their insurance covers from last year and have made elaborate security arrangements.
Shreyans Jain, insurance agent, United India Insurance, which has offered insurance packages to several city mandals, said that many organisers are expected to make claims if rains stall celebrations. “Organisers fear that the rains may stall performances or postpone events. If so, they can ask for compensation under the insurance scheme,” said Jain.