Delhi's Durga Puja pandal aims to promote peace with French-themed festivities

One of New Delhi’s oldest Durga Puja pandals, Matri Mandir Society, is ready to send out a strong message against terrorism in an unusual way. It seeks to pay tribute to the French citizens that have suffered terror attacks in recent times by modelling the pandal after the iconic Palais Garnier opera house.

The Palais Garnier is a 1,979-seat opera house that was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet. "At a time when the world is going through turmoil and fighting the menace of terrorism, we thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this year's Durga Puja to world peace as Maa Durga brought peace to the land by eliminating Mahisasur," Debashish Saha, General Secretary, Matri Mandir Society told Fashion Forward Trends.

Moreover, the event will also include special performances by Bollywood singer Kavita Krishnamurthy and Bengali folk singer Aarko Mukherjee. It will be held from October 7 to October 11.