Bihar Durga Puja pandals focus on spreading awareness about liquor ban

Patna: Prohibition in Bihar has found an echo in the ongoing Durga Puja too with many Puja pandals across the state depicting the ill effects of alcohol to create public awareness against liquor consumption.

The depiction of strong message of prohibition at Puja pandals would make Chief Minister Nitish Kumar happy as he has always stressed on creating ‘jan chetna’ (public awareness) to make the liquor ban successful.

A Puja pandal at Purnea has a message written on the top of its entrance gate in favour of prohibition. “Sharab bandi se hogi samaj ki khushali (prohibition will usher the state into happiness),” reads the message.

Two big cut outs of popular liquor brand bottles by the side of this pandal have slogans written on them in favour of prohibition.

“Aao Milkar Sapath Le, Nasha Mukt hum Samaj Banaye (let us take a pledge to make a liquor-free society),” reads one slogan.

The other cut out donned “Sharab nahi yeh Jahar hai, Iska Chunna Kahar hai (it’s not alcohol, but poison, touching it will wreak havoc)” slogan.

Strong words against liquor consumption were displayed in some Durga Puja pandals in capital Patna.

A Puja pandal in Machua Toli in Patna has several cut outs to depict domestic conditions before and after prohibition.

It shows a man whose name is written as Basudeo pointing a broom towards his wife while fighting under influence of liquor in March 2016 (before prohibition came into force). His wife is also lifting a broom targeting her husband and asking him to shun alcohol. The adjacent cut out shows a happy man after prohibition came into action.

Yet another cut out shows a ‘doctor flop’ whose business has been hit after the state went complete dry.

A Puja pandal at Govind Mitra Road depicts the sorry condition of a family where an inebriated husband is lying on the floor while a shattered wife and her little daughter stand by his side.

The organisers of these Pujas said the powerful depictions and slogans were part of efforts to tell the visiting masses about the merits of prohibition