|
| North Kolkata pujas beat recession blues |
| Swati Garg / Kolkata Sep 26, 2009, 00:59 IST |
|
The slowdown in the economy over the past year and a half has not dented the Pujo festivities or the budgets of puja pandal committees as anticipated earlier, at least in north Kolkata.
Pradip Ghosh, president, Santosh Mitra Square pujo committee and a senior Congressman, said, “Recession will never have an impact on the manner in which we celebrate puja. Our budgets have been on the rise and will continue to do so.”
The manner of raising funds remains traditional for most committees. The average budget of the better known pujas in north Kolkata range in the vicinity of Rs 25-30 lakh. Brand advertisements and sponsorships remain just a fraction of their cost. So, with the green shoots in the economy, even a little loosening of the corporate kitty comes as a bonus.
Majority of the spending by the committees are met from the souvenirs that they publish every year. A souvenir for the larger pujos could raise about Rs 15 lakh while a sovenier for the smaller ones could raise about Rs 5-8lakh. Stalls and advertisements are the other contributors. The cost of setting up a stall at Santosh Mitra Square could range between Rs 5,000 for the smaller food stalls to Rs 65,000 for stalls like Coca-Cola, said Ghosh.
Banners around the bigger pandals like Santosh Mitra Square, Mohammad Ali Park or College Square host brands like Vodafone, Aircel, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, French Motors, ITC and Emami.
“Our budget is about Rs 25 lakh as opposed to Rs 24 lakh last year. Recession does not affect the manner in which we raise money or the amount of money that is ultimately available for the festivities,” said Bikash Majumder, Secretary, College Square, one of the oldest and most renowned Puja committees in north Kolkata.
However, considering the price hike, pujas with similar or little more budget than the previous year would not measure up much. Nevertheless, that would not take away the sheen of puja in Kolkata either.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Read Business news in |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Content Guide
