From a 61-year-old Durga Puja rooted in administrative tradition to a creatively decorated pandal celebrating handwritten letters and old-fashioned letterboxes, two distinctive pujas are drawing attention across Barak Valley this festive season.
While the Cachar District Commissioner’s office preserves a tradition that dates back to 1966, the Cachar Postal Department has turned its pandal into a nostalgic tribute to an era when letters, postcards and postmen were integral to everyday life.
Together, the celebrations highlight how institutions preserve their histories, while maintaining their connection with the communities they serve.
Held on the campus of the District and Sessions Court, the district administration’s puja traces its present-day tradition to 1966, when the venue was shifted from Gandhi Bag following floods.
Organisers describe it as the only Durga Puja in Assam administered by a District Commissioner’s office.
On Mahasaptami, District Commissioner Rahul Kumar Gupta performed the sankalpa ritual in the presence of his parents and members of the All-Assam District Administration Employees Union, continuing a tradition associated with the office for six decades.
Gupta said the sankalpa was offered for the health and well-being of the people of Cachar, Assam, the country and the world. The prayers also sought peace and fewer natural calamities.
Bikramjit Chakraborty, chief adviser to the Zila Prashasan Karmachari Santha, said the puja held a unique place among district administration offices in the state.
“This is the sole puja administered by the office of the Deputy Commissioner across all the DC offices in the state. The venue was shifted from Gandhi Bag to its present premises in 1966 owing to floods. Since then, the District Commissioner, by virtue of the chair, has headed the proceedings of the puja,” Chakraborty said.
Joydeep Nath, secretary of this year’s puja committee, said officers and staff members of the office participate in the annual celebrations.
Letters, letterboxes & a postal dept’s pandal
A different kind of history unfolds at the Silchar Head Post Office, where the Cachar Postal Department has transformed its Durga Puja pandal into a tribute to traditional postal communication.
Selfie points featuring old postcards at the Cachar Postal Department’s Durga Puja pandal in Silchar (Photo: AT)
The entrance resembles a giant envelope, while letterboxes, postcards and postal envelopes recreate the imagery of a time when handwritten correspondence connected families and communities.
Nostalgia-themed selfie points feature old postcards, classic red letterboxes, inland letters and replica postage stamps.
A postman’s bicycle, a mailbag and a representation of the traditional runner, who once carried mail to remote areas on foot, add to the display. The exhibits also introduce younger visitors to postal services from an era before the internet transformed communication.
Subimal Nath Mazumder, sub-postmaster of Banskandi Sub Post Office and secretary of the puja committee, said the theme emerged from the enduring association between the postal department, letters and postmen.
“The moment someone mentions the postal department, the first thing that comes to mind is a letter. Through this theme, we have tried to highlight how our postmen deliver letters to households and how this service has helped the department build a special relationship with people,” he said.
The Cachar Postal Department is celebrating its 91st Durga Puja this year, Mazumder said. Beyond recalling the department’s history, the pandal seeks to revive personal memories associated with traditional postal communication.
The celebrations will also recognise the people who have carried that legacy forward. At least 12 postmen are set to be honoured for their dedicated service, particularly their work reaching residents in far-flung areas.
One puja carries forward an administrative tradition rooted in 1966; the other celebrates the emotional significance of letters and the people who delivered them.
Together, they show how Durga Puja in Barak Valley extends beyond festive spectacle, bringing institutional history, shared memories and community bonds into the celebrations.