Financial assistance amounting to 20,000 Taka each was distributed among 84 Puja Mandaps across Singair Upazila in Manikganj on Monday afternoon (October 15). The philanthropic initiative was spearheaded by Aniruddha Kumar Roy, Honorary Consul of Belarus in Bangladesh and Chairman of Leather Industries of Bangladesh, during a special ceremony held in the Angaria area of the upazila.
According to the organizers, this marks the 26th consecutive year that Roy has provided financial support for the celebration of Durga Puja, continuing a tradition dedicated in honor of his late mother, Sreemati Gita Roy. The event commenced with a comprehensive discussion session featuring local lawmaker and Member of Parliament for the Manikganj-2 constituency, Mainul Islam Khan, who attended as the chief guest.
The ceremony was conducted by Sajib Kumar Shah, convener of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad Singair Upazila branch, and featured key administrative figures as special guests, including Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khairun Nahar, Singair Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mazharul Islam, and Upazila Commissioner for Land Md Al-Amin Kabir. Representatives from all 84 Puja Mandaps across the upazila and Singair municipality, alongside members of the local Hindu community, were in attendance to receive the grants.
Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, lawmaker Mainul Islam Khan lauded the initiative as an exceptional endeavor, emphasizing that communal harmony is a thousand-year-old tradition of the nation. He reiterated that members of the Hindu community are equal citizens with guaranteed rights in every sphere, noting that Roy's enduring commitment to supporting the Sharadiya Durga Utsav is profoundly commendable.
Expressing appreciation for the assistance, Parimal Rajbongshi, president of the managing committee of Bangala-Nobogram Sarbojonin Durga Mandir in Boldhara Union, shared that the financial support significantly eases the mounting expenses associated with idol crafting, venue preparation, and guest hospitality. Echoing similar sentiments, Niranjan Das, president of Chandonpur Sarbojonin Durga Mandir in Jarmita Union, noted that the contribution provides vital relief toward covering the extensive costs incurred during the festival.
Reflecting on the underlying motivation behind his decades-long initiative, Aniruddha Kumar Roy dedicated the efforts to all mothers worldwide. He remarked that true devotion begins with the care and reverence of one's birth mother, asserting that honoring a living mother holds profound spiritual significance alongside religious worship.
