Ahmedabad: The Ahiritola Sarbojonin Durga Puja Committee has recreated a portion of Ahmedabad’s old city to educate people about heritage conservation. Ahmedabad and Kolkata, they say, are connected by the old parts of their cities, heritage zones that are being destroyed rapidly by real estate development.
From colourful walls to stained glass windows, the pandal looks exactly like a set out of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. There are intricate wood carvings on the pillars of the main mandap where an exquisite idol of Goddess Durga is placed.
The idol, though made with clay, looks like it has been carved out of stone! Inside the pandal, there are chai stalls, flower shops with Gujarati signage banners on top.
In a bid to give a real-life feel of a typical heritage Ahmedabad neighbourhood (known as Pol in Gujarati), the artist has created arches and hanging balconies, houses have been painted in bright colours.
One can easily spot colorful clothes lining up those balconies, as if left by residents to dry! And ofcourse, the walls of the old city are lined with Gujarati film posters.