every year, Hazra Park Fort Festival Surprises the audience by bringing forth new ideas. This puja from South Kolkata comes with an attractive theme.Teen Chakar Golpo‘ (Story of 3 Wheels) This time. Hazra Park Durgotsav, which turns 81 this year, is celebrating with a theme related to the driver of an autorickshaw – “Teen Chakar Golpo, This puja is located at Hazra Crossing (inside Jatin Das Park).
The City of Joy, Kolkata, which used to be somewhat spontaneous in the past, is currently constantly changing and evolving to keep pace with the extreme mobility across all borders in this contemporary world. Thus we now live in a fast-paced city with our strongest desires and we have learned not to hold back. While autorickshaw drivers are playing various roles as a parent, spouse or son, there is another important role – that of the driver of a three-wheeler autorickshaw. They work hard day and night to earn a modest income, but they know how to keep their parents and children happy with whatever they have. But, every night while sleeping on their torn blanket, they cannot stop themselves from dreaming of earning lakhs one day.
While talking to the media, Mister. Sayan Deb Chatterjee, Joint Secretary of Hazra Park Durga Utsav Committee Mohd. Said, “We have negative feelings towards auto drivers. But we never want to know about their daily struggles, difficulties, their family life, their ambitions and dreams. The pandal will recreate the auto stand surrounded by local buildings. Auto parts and 12 will shape the auto interior. We will hang photographs of auto drivers and feature their stories on voice-over. He invited everyone to come to the puja with family and friends.
Who would like to hear this story of our three wheels? Passengers traveling in our trains call us by different names – Uncle, Auto, Dada etc…. We will traverse the streets and alleys of the city, ignoring the inclement weather conditions, and will continue to transport passengers from one place to another indefinitely, whether you all accept our commitment to our work or not. This festive season the auto rickshaw drivers will move forward with the immense love and support given by the Hazra Park Durgotsav Committee.
About Hazra Park Fort Festival, Puja in Hazra Park has its own importance and pride. There was a time when Durga Puja was mainly performed in palaces or homes of elite and upper caste families. People from lower castes were not allowed to enter these pujas and even make offerings to the goddess. This was beyond imagination for these deprived people. Family pujas gradually replaced “barovari” or community pujas, but it still had a long way to go before it became “serbojanin” or secular. As per the caste nature of those days, Harijans/Mahtars were considered impure as they were employed by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation to clean open pit latrines and the city’s sewage system and hence were prohibited from entering puja pandals. I went.
This puja started from here 1942 with the support of Calcutta Municipal Corporation. This puja was open to the general public, the underprivileged, backward classes and Harijans. Earlier this puja was held in Bhawanipur which was shifted to Hazra Park in 1945. People from backward classes could freely participate in the puja, which continues even today. Even today, as a tradition, the members of the committee themselves serve bhog and prasad to about 1000 Harijans. It is a mark of respect to the generations who have kept the city clean over the years. It is also a powerful statement that regardless of birth, every person is created equal and should be treated equally.
