Since Phailin was supposed to make landfall on October 12 (which coincided with Ashtami, the fourth and climatic day of Puja) some people were afraid that once it hit and the storm raged, they wouldn't be able to show off their new Puja-special clothes as they would have to stay indoors. To solve the problem, some people changed clothes thrice a day during the first three days. "Han, ami aamar Ashtami'r saari taa Saptami tei porey nilum...key jaaney er por portey paarbo kinaa," (Yes, I decided to go ahead and put on the saari I had planned to wear on Ashtami on Saptami...who knows if I'd be able to wear it at all after that?"). But what about the Saptami's saari then? Sonali Ghosh, a homemaker confessed, "Oh, I usually change into a new sari twice a day. This time I decided to change three times."
Sure enough, by late morning on Ashtami the weather started changing. Dark clouds gathered over the pandals, accompanied by strong winds. This was followed by heavy showers. But Bengal was largely spared the full blast of the cyclone which made a landfall at Odisha's Gopalpur. Had it struck Bengal, blowing at close to 240 kilometers an hour as it it did, it would have wreaked disaster for the makeshift structures and pandals. Looks like Maa Durga answered everyone's prayers. In fact, it must be noted that it was not until the Ashtami Anjali—the day's prayers/worship of that day—was performed that the storm and rains started.
Old MacDonald Had a Pandal
Every year, in an attempt to out-do each other in terms of themes, organisers of Durga Pujas come up with some interesting ideas which range from the outstanding to the outlandish. This year was no exception.