KOLKATA: The city was spared the maximum impact of cyclone Titli—that of heavy rain— on Thursday as the Met office had forecast, but Puja organisers in the city had butterflies in the stomach over what lay in store for them on Friday and Saturday, when pandal-hopping is set to begin in all earnest. Though the decline in cyclone Titli’s intensity brought some relief to organisers, who had lost sleep over the fate of pandals if Titli generated winds in excess of 50 km/hour when it passed the city, many of them aren’t taking any chances and have taken measures to protect the art work till the cyclone effect blows over by Saturday.At Shib Mandir near Mudiali, organisers have virtually wrapped the entire pandal with sheets of transparent plastic to protect the fragile art work from getting damaged by rain. The plastic was removed when chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the pandal on Wednesday but the sheets have been kept ready to be deployed whenever it rains. “We have assigned volunteers to draw the cover, much like the pitch is covered at Eden Gardens if it rains during a match. We hope it does not pour during the heavy rush evening hours for then lakhs of visitors will be disappointed,” said Shib Mandir’s Partha Ghosh.At Natun Dal in Behala, the organisers watched helplessly as Wednesday’s rain damaged at least 50 paper boxes that had been crafted in Origami style. Initially crestfallen, architect Abin Chaudhuri who has designed the pandal decided to make the boxes again, this time at least 150, to ensure that if another 75 are damaged in the rain forecast on Friday and Saturday, they can be quickly replaced. “Ours is a carbon-zero pandal, where everything is made out of recyclable material. We did not want to use plastic to shield the art work. The birds that were crafted survived the rain as the glue that had been applied acted as waterrepellent. But the boxes being big got filled up with water that seeped in and were damaged. We are making the boxes anew,” Chaudhuri said.Badamtala Ashar Sangha isn’t worried about the rain as the material used in the open section will not be affected. But at 66 Palli next door, the live taant weaving technique showcased at the pandal by weavers will get hit if it rains. “When the CM came to inaugurate our pandal on Thursday, it wasn’t raining. She loved how we had showcased the revival of taant in Bengal. We are praying that it doesn’t rain hard over the next two days so that others can also get an insight into the age-old weaving tradition,” said club functionary Rajat Sengupta.At Ahiritola Jubakbrinda in north Kolkata, organisers sourced bags of sand to prevent the ground from turning slushy. They also plan to use plastic sheets to the props and art work that may get damaged in the rain. “We are using several artwork and props to depict the hardships women face. There are a lot of illustrations as well where colour has been used. They are all vulnerable,” said artist Manas Roy.At Samaj Kalyan Sangha (AE Part II) in Salt Lake, organisers have set up wooden platforms on a sand bed for devotees to access the pandal. “We are keeping six extra-large umbrellas for some to take helter from the rain,” said general secretary Tapas Sengupta.

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