Meghalaya: Durga Puja pandal replicates Chandrayaan-3 to encourage children study Science

Shillong: A Durga Puja pandal, replicating the Chandrayaan-3, is welcoming people in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district.

The idea to build the pandal as a replica of Chandrayaan was conceived by national award-winning teacher Madhav Singh, who is the secretary of the Ram Mandir Durga Puja Committee in Nongpoh town.

Singh said it was an attempt to create awareness among the people of the district, and encourage students to study Science.

"I along with the president and other members of the committee, including Muneshwar Singh who is a professor of Economics at the Ri-Bhoi college, discussed how the students in the district are not into Maths and Science. We thought of ways to try and help create awareness for this," he said.

"This installation is also to create awareness about current affairs, especially the proud moment when India successfully landed at the south pole of the moon, among the people," he added.

The committee has been celebrating Durga Puja since 1944, and this is the first time that they have ditched the traditional pandal. The 20-foot-tall model of Chandrayaan is attracting a lot of visitors as well.

Singh said a group of welders and designers were brought in from Guwahati for setting up the pandal.

This year onward, the committee will try to find ways to encourage the young people to take up science in higher studies, he said.

This time, over 250 Durga Pujas are happening in the state. Among them 243 are community Durga Pujas, said JL Das, the general secretary of the Central Puja Committee, the umbrella body of all the puja committees in the state.

In state capital Shillong, a total of 64 Durga Pujas are happening this year, he said.