Bengal decks up to bask in Durga Puja fervour

With Durga Puja celebrations in the air, can Kolkata keep calm? Shoppers are bustling about, engaging in last-minute buying sprees, while revellers have already begun their pandal-hopping adventures throughout the city and surrounding districts. The city is decked up in vibrant colours, sparkling lights, and hundreds of thematic pandals. This is the time of year that the entire state of West Bengal eagerly waits for. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has further lifted the festive spirit by inaugurating numerous community pujas across the state, both in person and virtually, undeterred by the rain. She said that Bengal celebrates every festival with equal enthusiasm. This year, she raised the curtain of Durga Puja celebrations with her participation in a community Puja programme at Sreebhumi Sporting Club organised by her Cabinet colleague Sujit Bose.

The CM also compiled a music album ‘Anjali’ comprising ten songs for the Puja. She wrote the lyrics and composed the music herself, with renowned singers contributing their voices to the album. “There are some people who speak more and do less. I believe in just the opposite. Some people ask why we celebrate festivals. We do so because we believe in religious tolerance in the state. When you can work with people of all castes and creeds, there is a special joy in it,” she said. Banerjee also appealed to all to celebrate Pujas maintaining peace and harmony in their respective areas.

Like always, the entire state transforms into a grand art festival, with artists showcasing their skills. From honouring social reformers, focusing on the eternal connection between Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar, paying tribute to the famous Jamdani weave, replicating the famous Bangkok’s Wat Arun Temple, The White House, addressing pressing concerns like pollution of the Ganges to the grandeur and spiritual essence of Tirupati Temple and 100-foot idol of Goddess Durga, Puja pandals across the state showcase a diverse array of themes, thus becoming the largest global public art festival for a week.

Organisers also use Durga Puja, which has been recognised by UNESCO as the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, as a platform to convey social message. Like Kidderpore 25 Pally, through its theme, chose to remind us how we should take care of elders instead of abandoning them in their old age. “We have used articles that we generally discard after use, selling them as junks to kabadiwalas. These are symbols for delivering the underlying message of our theme named ‘Kobakhan’ (Explanation). We have portrayed a story relevant to our city,” said Bimal Samanta, who conceived the theme for Kidderpore 25 Pally that stepped into its 80th year.

Sujata Gupta, a teacher by profession who likes conceiving creative themes, was roped in by Babubagan Club in Dhakuria for its 63rd year Puja. The history of the country’s freedom struggle till mass awakening is being portrayed through its theme “Kabitirtha”. Pandal hoppers will be teleported to past centuries inside the pandal.

“There is a proverb that ‘pen is mightier than the sword’. Works of Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Dwijendralal Roy, Sukanta Bhattacharya and Michael Madhusudan Dutta had its relevance in the freedom struggle movement, which was no less than the contributions of the patriots. Hence, we used their writings in the décor of our pandal commensurate with our theme and at the same time paying tribute to these greats,” said Gupta.

Jagat Mukherjee Park at Sovabazar, North Kolkata, will impart a feel of travelling in underwater metro through its theme this year. Metro services from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade have already started and a section of the tracks run underneath the river Hooghly. Plywood is being used predominantly for churning out the idea. Artists from Basirhat in North 24-Parganas were roped in for this puja.

Samajsevi Sangha at Lake Road area in South Kolkata is churning out a contrast by pitting ruralisation against the rapid urbanisation in today’s world through its theme ‘Karshan’, meaning use of the plough. “Through the use of installation art, we are portraying a serene rural setting through our Durga Puja, this year. The city is a striking example of rapid urbanization but puja revellers will be treated to a rural setting,” said Raju Sarkar, the theme maker.

Arijit Maitra, general secretary of the club said that at a time when agricultural lands are giving way to apartments, we should not forget the significance of agriculture which provides us with food.

Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town has already become one of the largest crowd pullers even before Shashti. This year, they have created a replica of the Vishnu temple of Tirupati. Ekdalia Evergreen Club at Gariahat has created a replica of Puri’s Jagannath Dham while the iconic Switzerland Parliament is being portrayed through the pandal of College Square in central Kolkata.

“People of the state wait for Durga Puja festivities throughout the year. Durga Puja in Bengal marks the beginning of the festive season. After that, there will be Diwali, Kali Puja, and Chhath Puja. This festive season continues till Christmas in December,” said the CM.

With inputs from Gourab Neto, Dipali Sen and Soumyadip Mullick