KOLKATA: Durga Puja has always been about transporting us into different worlds. From Egypt to Dubai, Kolkata’s pandals have taken visitors on journeys across the globe. This year, Falguni Sangha at 23 Suren Tagore Road, near Ekdalia, has gone a step further, turning their pandal into a breathtaking European art museum. Step inside and you’ll find yourself surrounded by stunning AI-generated artworks, illuminated with special lights that make the space feel like an international gallery.
AI is no longer the future. It’s here, shaping our present. And what better platform than Durga Puja, the world’s largest public art festival, now honoured as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, to showcase this transformation? The creative force behind this unique pandal is Debashis Sen, former IAS officer. Sen, a former Additional Chief Secretary (IT&E) and ex-Chairman of ‘Hidco’, has been experimenting with AI art for a while, displaying his works at venues like the Academy of Fine Arts, Biswa Bangla Convention Centre and ITC.
Just last year, he introduced ‘Nyla,’ an AI avatar, to inaugurate India’s first AI art gallery in Kolkata. This year, 60 of his AI artworks are on display here, most of them created especially for the Puja. “Durga Puja in Kolkata is now recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. But in a world that’s changing so rapidly, technology is moving even faster. So, why not bring Durga Puja and technology together?” Sen saied. A walk through the pandal makes his vision clear. From contemporary themes like Operation Sindoor to the Air India plane crash that claimed 260 lives in June, his AI art doesn’t shy away from tough subjects.
“Most pandals in Kolkata lean heavily on tradition and culture. That’s important, but it’s equally important to look ahead. Durga Puja should also evolve and embrace technology, just as our lives have. The idea was to make it aesthetically pleasing yet thought-provoking,” Sen said. And the response proves him right.
The pandal has already struck a chord with art lovers and foreign visitors alike.