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600 Phuchkas Go Missing From The Eye-Catching Phuchka-Themed Durga Puja Pandal In Kolkata

by Ankita Mazumdar
600 Phuchkas Go Missing From The Eye-Catching Phuchka-Themed Durga Puja Pandal In Kolkata

If you were keeping track of the gorgeous Durga puja pandals of this year, then we are sure you did not miss out on the viral phuchka-themed pandal in Kolkata. When it comes to Kolkata and phuchka, the connection is really strong. The pandal of Behala Nutan Dal Durga Puja was decorated with artificial phuchkas as their theme was ‘Tushti’ which means satisfaction. Turns out, 600 of these phuchkas are missing from the decorations. Now the Behala Nutan Dal Durga Puja Committee alerted the Kolkata police because those phuchkas are harmful if consumed. Read further to know more about it.

600 Phuchkas Go Missing From Phuchka-Themed Durga Puja Pandal!

Phuchka is a popular Kolkata street food and it is an emotion for Bengalis. They can have phuchkas day and night but this time some people indulged in decorative phuchkas from the viral phuchka-themed pandal of South Kolkata’s Behala Nutan Dal Durga Puja. People were so tempted to see phuchkas everywhere, that they went on to remove them from the walls of the pandal. Now, they either ate them or took them home as a token from the pandal.

The pandal committee was concerned about the health issues of the people who consumed the phuchkas. They had to alert the police because the phuchkas were laced with chemical resin and hardened to preserve their original shape and size. These chemicals are hazardous for our bodies.

The pandal committee did run into the issue of phuchkas going missing during Durga Puja. They took a step forward to announce through loudspeakers and warn visitors to not eat them, even if it looked tempting. Looks like some people really can’t control their urges and let their tastebuds do the ruling; even if it is laced with resin!

In total, 600 phuchkas are missing. Convenor Sandip Banerjee spoke to TOI that the pandal committee was very much aware of the fact that people might get tempted to eat this crunchy ball of phuchka. So they had to post on social media, a humble warning to not scoop out and eat those phuchkas because of the chemical layering on top.

Also Read: Durga Puja 2023: 600 Drones Will Take To The Skies Over Park Circus Pujo To Wish Shubho Bijoya To All

The Detail To Attention On This Pandal Is Crazy

Dutch artists, Martyna Maria Pekala and Benjamin van Pompe undertook this idea to construct this phuchka-themed pandal. They joined forces with another local artist, Ayan Saha, to make the pandal so beautiful and munch-worthy that the police had to get involved. Kudos to them for doing their job with such precision that it looks gobble-worthy. 

There are more details, starting from the preparing phuchkas to selling them on the street, every little vision has been brought to life. There were glass box containers filled with phuchkas, rolling pins, fried food items, phuchkas served in saal pata, and more.

Also Read: Durga Puja Over? Not Yet! There’s A Grand Durga Puja Carnival Happening At Kolkata’s Red Road

The pandal became very popular among the pandal-hopping crowds and they witnessed massive footfall. There was this last headache for the pandal committee which might become a health hazard for someone else. It was great on their part to make announcements and alerts. What are your thoughts about this?

Cover Image Credits: X/SangeetKothari

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