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In a demonstration of communal harmony in Odisha's Baripada town, Muslim and Hindu communities and their families have been coming together to organise and perform Durga puja for the past 39 years at Tulsichaura, part of Baripada Municipality in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district.
A sizeable contingent of locals involved, almost 33 per cent, are members of the minority community, Girish Chandra Das, president of Tulsichaura Durga Puja committee, told ANI. The Durga Puja pandal of Tulsichura is themed on the Winter Palace in Russia. The cost of raising the pandal modelled on the iconic Paris landmark is estimated to be about Rs 50 lakhs. Sheikh Mohammad Rizwan, a member of the organising committee of the Durga Puja, said, "I have been a member of this Durga Puja Committee since childhood. We organise the festival here in the spirit of communal brotherhood. Durga Puja is celebrated on a grand scale. Here Hindus and Muslims live together and in peace." Das informed further that every year, they set sights on a new global landmark to model the pandal on. "The pandal erected this year is themed on the Winter Palace in Russia. Tulsichaura is home to Hindus and Muslims. The members of both communities come together to celebrate the festival. There are 30 to 40 Muslim members in our committee." A devotee visiting the puja said like every year, this pandal will be adjudged as the best in Baripada in terms of decoration. (ANI)
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