GUWAHATI, Oct 7 (TIWN): Pandal hoppers during the Durga Puja are decked up with new dresses, so are pandals illuminated with lights of diverse hues to greet them. What lies behind such a sheen in the illuminated puja pandals in most of the pandals the city and elsewhere in the State? The sheen we have been crazing for is not an ‘indigenous’ one. It’s a bought one from Chandan Nagar in West Bangal.

The electric artistes of Assam don’t give such sheen in electrification. Their counterparts in Chandan Nagar are the master of this art. In fact, this is an industry at Chandan Nagar that drains out crores of rupees from Assam during the Durga Puja.

Talking to this reporter, an indigenous artisan, Bhagya Terang, said: “They charge Rs 1.50 lakh to the least for a small pandal. For big pandals, they charge up to Rs 12 lakh. Crores of rupees go to Chandan Nagar from Assam in every Durga Puja festival. The lighting artistes of Chandan Nagar come with Chinese electric gadgets. They know how to the use Chinese gadgets to get the fullest sheen in the illumination. Our electric artistes don’t do that.”

Noted art director Nuruddin Ahmed said: “The business of lighting has its roots at Chandan Nagar in West Bengal. It’s an industry there. Of course, there are a few local ones who’re good at the job. However, we’ve a notion ingrained in our minds that light artists of Chandan Nagar have no parallel in Assam. We ignore the local ones. This notion makes them go with crores of rupees from Assam.”