Satyajit Das (Moulvibazar Correspondent):
For the first time, a 21-foot tall Saraswati statue made of rice in Srimangal, Moulvibazar, has attracted the attention of everyone in the district.
A unique combination of agriculture and culture took place during this year's Saraswati Puja in Srimangal, Moulvibazar. Under the initiative of the upazila's 'Lalbagh Jubo Kishore Sangha' (Gosaibari Road, Lalbagh A/A), a 21-foot tall Saraswati idol has been erected, which is made entirely of rice. This is the first time such a large rice idol has been arranged in Bangladesh.
The idol, made of about 50 kg of paddy, straw, gum and other materials, took a month to build. The idol was created by artists Uday Pal and Gaur Pal.
On Tuesday (February 4), Uday Pal said that people's curiosity was strong since the construction of the statue began, and on the day of the puja, that interest turned into an overflowing crowd.
This year was the 25th Puja of the Lalbagh Youth Youth Association. To commemorate their 25th anniversary, the organizers planned to do something new six months in advance.
"We wanted to do something that had never been done before," said Kaushik Dutta, president of the association. "We finally planned a rice statue. We tried to make the statue not only tall but also artistically unique."
The statue cost around 70,000 taka to make. According to the organizers, the effort has been worthwhile due to the overwhelming response from the visitors.
A trader from Timir, who came to see the golden-shining rice idol, said, "I have never seen such a tall and exceptional idol in Srimangal before. The artists have made the idol by placing rice so delicately, as if it is plated with gold."
Sudip Das, Joint General Secretary of Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad (Srimangal Upazila Branch), said, "This time Saraswati Puja has been celebrated in more than three hundred pavilions in the upazila. However, the rice idol has become the special attraction of this year's Puja."
A wonderful blend of art, creativity, and tradition, the rice idol is not just a part of worship, but rather it will remain a memorable landmark in the cultural history of Srimangal.
