www.telegraphindia.com

Darjeeling, Sept. 17: The message was clear. Religion and traditions are more deep-rooted than politicians and their diktats.

The hill town wore a festive look today, as residents came forward to celebrate Viswakarma Puja like the rest of the country. Pandals were erected and paeans sung to the god.

The enthusiasm came as a surprise as there were indications from the GNLF — the ruling party in the hills which calls all the shots — that the god of engineering and architecture would be worshipped in a new way this time. It is not that Subash Ghisingh, the GNLF chief, had banned the traditional form of worship. For that matter, in the past too, Ghisingh had never issued any directive on religious practices, but then his subtle hints have always been followed to the hilt.

Earlier this week, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Transport Joint Action Committee, an affiliate of the GNLF, announced that it will celebrate Loha (metal) Puja on September 23 instead of Viswakarma Puja.

Last year, too, the committee was the first to maintain that idols of Viswakarma would be replaced by shilas (stones). Residents regarded this as one of Ghisingh’s diktats and scurried to follow in the footsteps of the committee, worshipping stones not only during Viswakarma Puja but Durga Puja as well.

With the same committee deciding that metals and not shilas will be worshipped on September 23, it was expected that the hill people would take the cue. Instead, residents went all out to celebrate Viswakarma Puja and in the process denounced the one-year-old shila worship.

In fact, one hardly found any shila being worshipped this time. If it was not idols, huge cutouts of the god adorned pandals across the town. Even many taxi syndicates, which are members of the transport committee, celebrated Viswarkarma Puja today.

They were, however, quick to maintain that they had no qualms about taking part in the puja on September 23.