mumbai wednesday marks the allimportant ashtami or eighth day of navratri hom havan ceremonies will take place at amba devi pandals while select durga puja pandals will busy themselves with kumari pujathe bengal institute of art and culture which organises its annual durga puja at kalidas hall in mulund says its usp is that it makes seating arangements for diners for the daily afternoon bhog organiser subal saha says approximately 15002000 cosmopolitan and bengali worshippers partake of the bhandara every dayanother member subir ghosh said as with all durga idols ours too is ecofriendly for it is made with clay and bamboo not plaster of paris it is not very tall because we focus on tradition and prayer we are not in competition for the tallest idol our competitions in dact involve classic bengali practices like conch blowing ululation and alpana rangoli on dashami day this idol is still taken to faraway juhu beach in the western suburbs for immersion given an old practicethe kalidas puja is 33 years old but mulund also has the parallel navajeevan sangha puja at nalanda recreation ground this event is just seven years old yet has an exquisite tableau of idols that leave spectators mesmerised navajeevan vice president debasish chatterjee said hundreds of devotees partake of daily bhog lunch our idol is brought from kolkata and is made by the famous sculptor rudra pal on the banks of the river hooghly we are very proud of the pandal decor also our two gates are lit up in chandannagore style with 10000 led bulbs artistes from kolkata have been performing here every eveningthe vikhroli bengali association is spreading the message of unity in diversity in its 53rd durga puja suman pandit head of its youth wing said our idol is completely ecofriendly in keeping with our environment conscious ethos our bhog includes khichdi labda payesh chutney topped off by rasgulla we also donate food to a childrens orphanage on the four puja days the spectacular sindoor utsav ashtami puja sandhi puja and dhunuchi naach draw thousands of bengali and nonbengali residents from the eastern suburbsthe socially conscious powai sharadotsav by spandan foundation at hiranandani gardens focusses on specially abled individuals this year our logo to decor all reflect our theme artists from the indian foot mouth painting association showed their talent on the first day we have performances by students of udaan as well as victoria school for the blind said spokesman arnab chakrabortypowai sharadostav featured baul singer couple gangadhar and tulika from kolkata on the opening day playback singers dev negi and nikita gandhi and rajdeep chatterjee will take the stage on other days