A local holiday has been declared on October 25 in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTR) area of Assam in honour of Diwali and Kali Puja. The holiday has been declared in the districts of Kokorajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Tamulpur, and Udalguri . All educational institutions, as well as all government and semi-government offices under the Bodoland Territorial Council will be closed on October 25th, according to a formal announcement from the Principal Secretary of BTR.
The news was made on October 24, which is also the day of this year’s Kali Puja and Diwali festivals and Assam is in full festive mode. Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations will take place at several Guwahati locations. The Guwahati Kali Puja celebration committee has chosen the ISRO theme for their pandal as they get ready to commemorate this year’s Kali Puja. The Kali Puja festival was hosted by the Vivekananda Sporting Club of Colony Bazar, Kalapahar in Guwahati which used the ISRO theme for the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
According to Sashanka Chakraborty, co-treasurer of Vivekananda Sporting Club, they chose the ISRO theme for their Kali Puja pandal in honour of the nation’s 75th anniversary of independence on August 15 this year and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. “Our club has been organizing the Kali Puja for the last 58 years. This year, we have organized a three-day programme for celebrating Diwali and Kali Puja to be held on October 24. This is one of the biggest Kali Puja in the state. Our preparations are on a war footing. Our budget is around Rs 15 lakh.
Our club is a socio-cultural club and we will distribute blankets among 500 poor people on October 24,” Sashanka Chakraborty said on Thursday. On the other hand, the Secretary of the organizing committee, Badal Palit said, “This year, we are trying to show the ISRO launch pad in our Kali Puja pandal. We are trying to show our country’s strength by taking this theme.” The Hindu festival of Kali Puja also known as Shyam Puja is observed on the day of the new moon (Dipannita Amavasya) in the month of Kartik.
