Durga Puja - Chetla Agrani Club, Kolkata
Durgapuja has always been a medium through which the members of the club have come together as family. From the year 1990, the members of Agrani decided to organize Durgapuja. That time the puja was held in a very small scale and homely manner. The Durgapuja Committee named itself FAMILIES AND FRIENDS keeping in mind the essence of the puja celebration.
The puja celebration was like any other club trying to unite like a family. From 1990 till 2007 the Families and Friends puja continued like a residential DURGA PUJA
From the year 2007, the puja was set up in the CHETLA AGRANI CLUB premises keeping in mind the wide popularity of the theme puja.
In 2007 the theme on which the Durgapuja was celebrated was rural Bengal. The ground was transformed to a rural Bengal village. The special draw of this village was a pond which was erected to give a feel of originality. The visitors appreciated this attempt to make theme puja of Durgapuja in Agrani and the club members got encouragement to proceed with it.
In 2008, the Durgapuja of Agrani was a huge success. We reflected on the issue of Global warming. The backdrop of the pandal was the polar region. The ground was sited as a total structure of white, portraying polar region. The message which lay behind creating the pandal, i.e, global warming even attracted the media to draw an attention. The igloo which was made out created curiosity among the visitors and experienced a great amount of footfall, matching some of the greatest puja pandals of the city.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Way before 1959 THE AGRANI CLUB was famously known as THE IMPERIAL GROUND. In those days it was mainly the football playground of the local boys. In the year 1959 some local players, most of them being friends, while playing football decided to form a club. This is how AGRANI CLUB was born in 1959. The founder members of this club include MR. PRADIP DAS, MR. GIARSI LAL GUPTA, MR. MILAN ROY, MR. BIMAL MONDAL and so on.
With the formation of the club, they decided to start the Kalipuja in the ground. In those days the puja was organized with huge funfair with big pandals, near about 50 gates, horse carriage procession for immersion and lots of enthusiastic crowd. Thereafter for many years, the Kalipuja as well as the sports activities round the year continued and many new members were inducted.
In 1970 the club was officially termed as THE CHETLA AGRANI CLUB. A very popular tournament started in the ground which was named THE AGRANI FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT. The tournament registered such an event that the then Governor Sri Dharamvir was the chief guest in one occasion
In 1990 a club room was constructed in one corner of the ground. This was the era when the Kalipuja was organized magnanimously with theme and became widely popular
In 2002, the present President MR.BOBBY HAKIM planned of constructing a concrete big pleasant club house with the financial help from MP MAMATA BANERJEE.
Eventually, the Air-conditioned Clubroom, Multigym, Sauna bath was constructed. In 2006 the club was leased by the land owner and he donated the entire property as the playground of KOLKATA MUNICIPAL CORPORATION by the behest of MR.BOBBY HAKIM and the historic deed of Registration was signed by the then General Secretary MR.AJOY CHATTERJEE. Thereafter the entire ground was illuminated and the lighting arrangement was done by MP L.A.D. fund by SMT. MAMATA BANERJEE for providing metal lighting for the tournaments, practice of FOOTBALL and CRICKET COACHING CAMPS and other
Chetla Agrani Club
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