This year the Durga Idol is inspired by the paintings of the famous Indian master painter Jamini Roy, with the signature large eyes. This year the lion or vaahan of Goddess Maa Durga is horse-faced, contrary to the more popular lion.
In some traditional households in Calcutta the horse as the V?hana is still seen today. The notable once are those of Shovabazar Rajbari, Nabakrishna Deb, Khelat Ghosh and others. It is believed that the horse as the V?hana in these households are an influence of the British Raj under whose benevolence these Pujas were started.
Jamini Roy had her mount the horse on several of his paintings, which we failed to identify, as Roy like the Patuas, did not title his paintings and were mistaken to be the queen.
Sarathi Socio-Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization in Bangalore, founded in 2003. The organization is involved in organizing socio-cultural events in Bangalore, the highlight being the grand Durga Puja. Sarathi encourages people from all communities to participate in its cultural fiesta, branded as Sammad, an Indian cultural extravaganza, which was inaugurated by the likes of Justice Santhosh Hegde, Captain Gopinath and Ashok Soota over the years. One of the oldest in the city, it's more contemporary in terms of crowd among the various Durga Puja celebrations in Bangalore.
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