In Chunchura, Hooghly, Durga Puja Organisers Refuse to Dismantle Pandal Roof to Protect a Dove's Nest
Durga Puja is over and pandals are being dismantled all around. But in Chunchura, in West Bengal's Hooghly district in India, organisers are not taking down the roof of one pandal for now, because a dove has built its nest in the pandal's bamboo frame and the nest holds four eggs.
The pandal belongs to Sukanta Smriti Sangha in Sukantanagar, Chunchura. The club's Durga Puja has entered its 53rd year this year. Club members say they did almost all of the pandal decoration work with their own hands.
About 15 days before the Puja, the dove began building its nest in the bamboo structure of the pandal. Later, while the roof was being made, members saw that the nest contained four eggs.
Seeing the eggs changed the pandal-building plan. Thinking of the bird's safety, the organisers stepped back from their decision to hang a tent or tarpaulin over the roof. Only thin cloth was used on that section so the nest would not be damaged, and the bird did not leave the nest.
After Puja ends, dismantling of the pandal usually begins in earnest. This time the club members are unwilling to follow that routine. Their decision is that the roof section will not be opened until the eggs hatch, the chicks grow and learn to fly.
Club member Manoj Mondal has said that animals, like humans, have a right to live. He said the pandal will not be opened until the chicks hatch and learn to fly, and that if needed an alternative safe place will be arranged for them.
Another member, Shyamal Majumdar, said the dove has been there since the pandal was being built. Even after the cloth was hung, the bird did not leave the nest, so they do not want to destroy it.
The organisers do not plan to leave the rest of the pandal standing for long, however. Keeping the roof and the dove's nest section intact, the other parts of the pandal will be taken down so the road and surrounding area can be cleared.
As the festival ends, lights are being removed and decorations taken down. Amid that, the focus of discussion at this Chunchura pandal is no longer the idol or the decoration, but a dove's nest and the four eggs inside it.
