Tall Durgas stealing the show

HYDERABAD: The famed Khairatabad Ganesh idol known for its towering height is in for some serious competition this Dasara season. Giving it a tough fight are the many Durga idols seen sitting pretty within the scores of puja pandals dotting the city on Day 1 of the five-day Durgotsav that took off on Sunday. Apart from their heights, these idols also flaunted some unique themes not seen in Hyderabad before.But among them all, the idol that seems to be grabbing maximum eyeballs this festive season is the 42-feet-tall Durga 'protima' at Chaderghat. Standing at a modest 18 feet until last year, organisers of this puja said that they consciously increased the height this time to draw more crowds to the pandal. "Everybody in this area is a staunch believer of the goddess and they all wanted a taller idol. So we obliged," said Gulab Srinivas, the organiser. But while the height has been almost doubled, the organisers have been careful to use only eco-friendly material to create it.And the efforts clearly seem to have paid off with revelers thronging the venue in large numbers.In Koti, stands another idol at 37 feet above ground which has been witnessing large crowds. "Last year it was only 20 feet," said P Madan Yadav, treasurer of Sri Durga Matha Navratri Mahotsav. Apart from raising the height of the Durga idol, the association has also decorated the stage with the idols of Saraswati and Hanuman. There are others too who have tried innovative ways to pull crowds.