Artsy affair

The city’s biggest extravaganza is almost about to begin and Durga Puja committees are going full throttle to draw people to their pandals with standout themes. From global landmarks to social subjects, there is plenty to look out for. Here are a few highlights:

Tala Pratyoy is coming up with a unique theme christened Kahan (the narration) — through which the life of the theme maker himself will be depicted. Susanta Pal has been churning out the theme of this Durga Puja for the last few years and has been a major crowd-puller. Tala Pratyay is the 50th work being executed by Pal who is also completing the 25th year of theme-making of different Durga Pujas in the city.

“The journey of my theme making during which I have executed 49 works in 25 years will be portrayed in detail through this concept. I will have six cottah land for narrating my life’s journey during which there has surely been a transformation in the way we look at Durga Puja. My own philosophy and thought process regarding Durga Puja will be portrayed. I am really fortunate that the organisers have allowed me the liberty to work with such an uncommon and challenging theme,” Pal said.

“We have earned a reputation for churning out innovative themes every year attracting people from all parts of the state. It is a bold experiment that we are going ahead with this year and the installation art will surely be different and striking,” Dhrubajyoti Basu, secretary of Tala Pratyoy, said. Samaj Sevi Sangha at Lake Road in South Kolkata is paying tribute to the entire economy associated with Durga Puja through its theme ‘Sri Sri Durga Sahay’.

“People from all strata of society try to celebrate this Puja in the best way possible according to their respective purse strings. People in different businesses and vocations ranging from tailoring, fooding, idol making, labourers, hawkers, advertisers, decorators, and shopkeepers look forward to some extra earning during this Puja and it is believed that the deity comes showering her blessings on everyone fulfilling dreams and aspirations of all. This inclusivity involving all those who contribute to the economy of the Durga Puja is being portrayed through our theme,” Arijit Maitra, general secretary of Samaj Sevi Sangha that has stepped into its 78th year, said. Bose Pukur Sitala Mandir in Kasba, which has stepped into its 74th year, is trying to relive the memories associated with ‘garden chairs’ made of iron through its theme ‘Ayojon’ (arrangement).

Different types of plastic chairs have dominated the present market and iron garden chairs that were very much in use even a decade back have now gone into oblivion.

“Whenever we saw garden chairs in roads or in front of households, we got the feeling that there would be some sort of programme there – be it social or political. We are trying to relive such memories associated with these chairs through our installation art with thousands of such chairs. It will also carry out the message that no chair is permanent and the fight for a chair or post will always be there,” Kajal Sarkar, secretary of Bosepukur Sitala Mandir, said.

The mandap of Sitala Mandir will be the size of a four-storeyed building and there will be innovations in lighting for churning out the theme. 66 Palli near Rashbehari crossing in South Kolkata is batting for women empowerment with women priest group ‘Shubhamastu’ performing the Puja of the club for the third time this year. The group is led by Nandini Bhowmik, who stepped into the arena of performing Durga Puja through 66 Palli in 2021 for the first time. The image of the idol of Devi Durga is based on a drawing made by Parvathy Das Baul who has picked up the painting brush for the first time.

The mandap is being decked up with soil (mati) commensurate with the theme Matir Durga. The soil that is used in the worship of Devi Durga is sourced from seven different places, including the houses of sex workers, farmers, and women associated with working in cow sheds (known as goyalini in Bengali parlance) to name a few. “The lives of all these categories of people from whom the clay for Durga Puja is sourced is being highlighted. The inside of the mandap is being made almost entirely with clay. The concept is based on the fact that there is Durga in every household,” Pradyumna Mukherjee, secretary of 66 Palli, said.

Dipanjan Dey is churning out the theme and Debayan Pramanik is making the idols. The theme song for the club is being sung by Ripon Boga Taleb from Bangladesh, who for the first time is lending his voice to a Durga Puja club.

Santosh Mitra Square in central Kolkata is inviting the pandal hoppers to witness the replica of Ram Mandir ahead of the real one which is being constructed in Ayodhya and is slated to be unveiled in January next year.

“It was Ram who is believed to have started the Durga Puja. So, we will be making a 50-foot installation of Ram as well as statues of Sita and Hanuman. Bamboo, foam, and fibre are being used for making the pandal. The colour and the lighting will be a special attraction,” Sajal Ghosh of Santosh Mitra Square said.

Hindustan Club in Gariahat is using boats to deck up its pandal in parity with its theme ‘Dariya Paar’ (crossing the ocean). The idea is to highlight the ups and downs in our lives through boats that go up and down while sailing through the waves of an ocean. Devi Durga will be seated in a boat and another boat will be at the top of her head. The Puja of Hindustan Club is being run entirely by women for the last nine years and is patronized by Chandrima Bhattacharjee, who holds charge of the state Finance department besides acting as the Minister of State for Health as well as the Land and Land Reforms department.

Sreebhumi Sporting Club, whose Puja is patronized by state Fire and Emergency Services minister Sujit Bose, is coming up with a concept inspired by Disneyland. “There is Disneyland in Paris, Orlando, Shanghai and recently it has come up in Hong Kong. So, we thought of having one in Kolkata. It will surely be a major attraction and will be a delight for children,” Bose said.

Belgharia 17 Palli is bringing a slice of Egypt this year. Replicas of pyramids of different sizes along with pharaohs and mummies will be installed on a 12000 square feet area totally covered with sand. An artificial waterbody will be created to give the impression of the Nile river that flows through Egypt and volunteers will welcome pandal-hoppers by saying ‘Al Habibi’ to give a real feel of the land of pharaohs. The lighting by Sudip Sanyal will churn out the night image of the desert in the best possible manner.

“There is a sense of mystery associated with pyramids. The way different components are being used for installation will surely offer a feel of Egypt,” said Rupchand Kundu, who has conceived the theme for Belgharia 17 Palli.

Theme maker Rintu Das who made headlines in 2021 by portraying Devi Durga as a migrant worker while churning out the theme of Barisha Club in Behala is portraying a challenging but realistic theme titled ‘Chai Na Hote Uma’ (I don’t want to be Uma) for the organisers of Kashi Bose Lane Durga Puja. “We worship women as our mothers, but at the same time, it is a hard-hitting reality that women are trafficked and forced into flesh trade. They are lured with false promises and job offers. The entire sequence of trafficking will come alive through the theme with the impression that it is Devi Durga who is freeing them from their sufferings by slaying the demonic forces,” said Das.

Behala Buroshibtala is depicting the homesickness of children who come from districts to the city accompanied by their fathers during Durga Puja. This case is very much prevalent for children of the ‘dhakis’ (traditional drummers) who come to the city during the festival.

“The theme ‘Khoka’ (the child) will give an impression that the heart and soul of these children remain in their native village where they could have enjoyed the festival with their friends. The idol of the Devi reminds them of their mother whom they miss,” Das, who is also conceiving the theme for Buroshibtala, said.

The theme for New Town Sarbojanin this year is ‘Komol Gandhar’. It portrays the beauty of the Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh through paintings. The Puja will be done by women priests and an all-women ‘dhaki’ team will be seen in the pandal premises like last year. This apart, the Puja committee this year is taking a unique initiative to support the start-ups to connect them with investors styled as ‘Durga-preneur’. Artist Anirban Das is making the idol taking inspiration from the Kangra civilisation.

FD Block Sarbojonin Durgotsav Committee is setting up their pandal based on dokra artwork, one of the popular traditional sculpture-making styles of Bengal. The artisans make sculptures using burnt clay and melted brass. Inside the pandal, dokra sculptures will be displayed. The organisers claimed that dokra artwork is coming to an end as only 90 families are still holding the baton of their ancestors. Due to distress selling, they do not earn much. Through this theme, people will be made aware of the industry so that demand can be increased for dokra products.

Labony Estate Durgotsav Committee is going to worship Goddess Durga in a traditional way this year. The pandal is being set up like Puri’s Jagannath Temple.

The theme of BJ Block Saradotsav Committee this year is ‘Adi Yogi’. The pandal will be made like the Adi Yogi statue of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, accompanied by light and sound effects.

With inputs from Gourab Neto