Kolkata: The Durga Puja festival has just got over, however, Kolkatans can again get an opportunity to observe and ponder upon the rich cultural heritage of Durga Puja through a unique exhibition in which museums, institutions and personal collectors have collaborated for showcasing their collections.
Very few people know that Kumartuli, known as the hub of idol-making is associated with the making of various terracotta articles also. Once you visit the exhibition, you will have a clear idea of the expertise among the artisans of Durga idols in churning out various articles from terracotta.
"At the end of 2019, digging was done for facilitating construction work at Kumartuli Street when at less than six feet beneath the ground we stumbled upon a plethora of articles made of burnt clay. Some of these articles include dolls for children, tubri (light-emitting firecrackers) of various shapes, glasses for drinking water, ink pots etc. A small part of the articles that were unearthed has been displayed and the rest are in my collection to be displayed at Kumartuli museum. The arrangement of the articles is now going on in full swing," Tapan Pal, from whose land the articles were found, said.
Rare manuscripts on the age-old worship method of Durga Puja according to Matsya Purana, songs dedicated to the Mother Goddess from Cooch Behar, ingredients essential for a great batch of the Goddess on Maha Ashtami etc from the Cooch Behar archive, rare books and manuscripts from the Asiatic Society Collection of Devi Durga are also part of the exhibition.
Maritime researcher Swarup Bhattacharya, who has been documenting boat-making since 1999, is displaying Dholai/Petnai, Kosa, Goluiya/Berli boats that are connected with Durga Puja.
Celebrating the festive vibes of 'Durga Puja', Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, Kolkata is having an interactive wall that plays the iconic sounds of the festival — the beat of 'Dhaak', the chime of 'Ghonta', the reverberations of 'Knashor' and the familiar hum of the 'Shonkho' — all at the wave of the hand!
Kolkata Centre for Creativity, a multidisciplinary art space in collaboration with Paschimbanga Sangrahalaya Samiti (West Bengal Museum Association), Centre for Studies in Museology, University of Jammu and Vedic Studies Department, Rabindra Bharati University have joined hands to organise the exhibition.
Durga has been worshipped in Jammu & Kashmir since ancient times as the ancient Durga idol (around 1300 years old) found in Budgam district suggests, the first recorded Durga Puja in West Bengal seems to have been celebrated by Bhabananda, the ancestor of Maharaja Krishnachandra of Nadia district in or about 1606 AD.
The exhibition that kicked off on Saturday will be held till November 25.