Bengal

XKolkata: After enduring last week’s deluge, Kolkatans turned out in droves on Shasthi, flooding the streets in a festive wave to see the city’s first full display of idols and pandal themes.

From Tala Prattoy and Sreebhumi Sporting Club to Bagbazar Sarbojanin, Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra and Jagat Mukherjee Park, some of the city’s most prominent pujas saw long queues through the evening.

Even office-goers joined in after work, making quick rounds of popular pandals before heading home. Major stretches such as Lake Town to Nagerbazar, dotted with big-ticket pujas, reported massive footfall. Police deployed extra barricades, enforced diversions and reminded organisers about sound limits to keep the flow manageable.

This year, several clubs tried new formats to stand out. Storytel

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