07/10/2025
🏆 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬? 𝐎𝐡, 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫. – 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐚𝐯 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐔𝐩 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭
We didn’t win any awards this year.
But then again — who needs trophies when you’ve already won hearts? ❤️
Maa Durga, with her divine family, has returned to Kailash.
The lights are out, the bamboo and cloth rest in silence,
and all of us pretend to return to our “normal” lives.
(As if normal is even possible after five days of pure magic.)
Let’s rewind a bit....
𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥 — a magnificent replica of Cibeles Palace, Madrid — wasn’t just built, it was crafted like poetry in structure.
1,500 bamboo sticks (each 20 ft tall).
4,500 wooden biddings.
3,000 metres of cloth.
250 foam sheets cut and carved into over 5,000 sculptures.
Every inch breathed artistry.
Visitors stood in awe. Judges stood dumb.
Sometimes silence is the loudest applause. 🏛️
And 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐚 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐚 — beauty, power, and artistry blended in one.
Her form drew from Roman elegance, yet her essence was pure Shakti.
Her eyes — Shining with a hint of divine anger. Her lips — curved in a gentle smile.
To sculpt that paradox is every artist’s nightmare.
Our Artist, Shri Salil Bhattacharya, made it look effortless.
Even her sari — hand-painted on clay — radiated grace.
Devotees couldn’t look away.
Judges didn’t know where to look.
𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬? The best in NCR — and then some.
We outdid ourselves.
Over 150 classical dancers, 60 vocalists, and 15 dramatists.
From Krishna Katha on Panchami to Samarpan on Shoshti.
From the rare untold story from Ramayan - Akalbodhon on Saptami to the epic Dharma Yatra, Echoes from the Mahabharata on Ashtami.
Each night — a new chapter of India’s soul on stage.
And only three dancers repeated across all performances —
because at Balaka, talent isn’t scarce — it’s overflowing.
And no, we didn’t forget music.
From Rabindra Sangeet to modern melodies,
from soulful folk tunes to the rhythms of the East —
we had it all.
Every note sung by our own people. No celebrity headliners.
Just pure, homegrown brilliance. 🎶
Even the guest artistes from Mumbai and Kolkata couldn’t help but stay back — not just to perform, but to celebrate with us. They sang, ate, gossiped, laughed — and left saying, “This is how Durga Puja should feel.”
While a few were Lobbying,
we were busy playing culture.
While some counted points,
we counted goosebumps.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭?
It came from those who see it all —
the reporters, correspondents, photographers.
Every single one said it out loud —
“Balaka is the best Durga Puja in NCR.”
How do we know they meant it?
They came once on duty…
and returned the next day with their families. ❤️
Now that is an award worth a thousand trophies.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭?
Members of the “winning” pandals dropped by.
They looked around — puzzled — and asked,
“You didn’t win anything?”
We smiled. “Oh, but we did,” we said.
“We won every single heart that came our way.” ❤️
So here’s to us — the heart-winners, not headline-chasers.
The ones who build with soul, not scorecards.
The ones who don’t just celebrate Maa Durga — we live her spirit.
𝐒𝐨 𝐧𝐨 — 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.
𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.
𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬.
And next year, we’ll be back —
not to compete but to outshine. Once Again! 🔱
𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮
