Mamata Banerjee tries her hand at 'dhak' at Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata

Image Source : ANI Mamata Banerjee had increased Durga Puja dole to individual pandals this year.

Mamata plays dhak: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who usually has a busy schedule ahead of Durga Pujo with pandal inaugurations, was seen having the time of her life. Banerjee tried her hand at playing dhak, a traditional instrument, at the inauguration of a community Puja in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The leader had arrived with her fellow cabinet ministers Frihad Hakim and Aroop Biswas at the Suruchi Sangha Puja, where she was seen playing dhak alongside other dhakis (people who play the instrument). Hakim, too, could be seen playing the dhak alongside Mamata Banerjee.

Despite being in a cash-strapped condition, the West Bengal government had increased the grant for the Durga Puja organising committees from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. CM Banerjee also declared a holiday period from September 30 to October 10 for Durga puja.

Mamata Banerjee said she is determined to make Durga Puja a special one as the 5-day-long festival has been inscribed on UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. There will be a series of colourful tableaux - a procession on September 1 after covering a major part of Kolkata to thank UNESCO for the heritage tag - in which, tableaux from major Durga Puja committees of Kolkata, Howrah, and Salt Lake will feature.