Siliguri, 13th August: Preparations for the 20th Ganesh Puja organised by the Siliguri Ganesh Puja Welfare Society began with a ‘Khutti Puja’ ceremony at the Bidhan Market auto stand on Thursday.
Members of the Puja committee and local traders were present at the ceremony.
The organisers have planned a special theme to make this year’s Puja more attractive. The Puja pandal will be designed in the style of the popular Lakshmi-Narayan Temple in South India.
The Puja committee said the event, as in previous years, is expected to become one of the major attractions in Siliguri and North Bengal. The organisers are hopeful that the Puja will draw large crowds during the celebrations.
The seven-day festival will feature various religious programmes every day, along with arrangements for distributing prasad among visitors.
The Puja committee also plans to undertake several social initiatives. Blood donation and eye check-up camps will be organised during the Puja.
The organisers further said that assistance will be provided to financially disadvantaged students, while initiatives will also be taken to support underprivileged people and provide financial assistance to orphanages.