City gears up for Puja with themes of heritage, freedom fighters, folk art

Kolkata: With barely a week to go before Bengal’s biggest carnival, Durga Puja, the city is ready to soak in festive spirit with organisers crafting diverse themes for their pandals, ranging from social and environmental issues to focusing on the cultural heritage of the past.

Hatibagan Nabin Pally is all set to mesmerise visitors with its theme “Amader Desh, Amader Durga” (Our Country, Our Durga), which focuses on the history of women’s participation in India’s freedom struggle, specifically the Quit India Movement.

The Puja preparation was going in a full swing. The Puja pandal will showcase how the women freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the independence of India. Devi Durga will be depicted through those women freedom fighters who fought with determination against the oppression during the colonial period.

Hindustan Park Sarbojanin, one of the better-known names in south Kolkata, this year has chosen the theme of Folk tradition. According to the organisers, it’s a folk tradition that goes back 4,000 years and which now faces extinction. Though they have remained tight-lipped about the details of the theme, the folk art chosen is reportedly Chador Badani, a tribal puppetry art.

The pandal will be crafted to appear as though it is rising back from extinction.

Samaj Sebi Sangha’s theme this year is “Pather Panchali”. The theme centers on “Bengali pride, heritage, and religious harmony,” paying tribute to cultural icons.

The pandal will echo the ambience of the original 1946 puja. The very backdrop of the then Bengal will once again be relived through the

puja pandal.

Featuring a 20-foot bird installation, the Baguiati Rail Pukur United Club is all set to mesmerise visitors with its theme ‘Shabdo’ (The Sound), which explores the fading sounds of nature and everyday life that once defined our existence but are now vanishing amid urban chaos.

Another well-known name of south Kolkata, 64 Pally has come up with the theme of Shree Chamundeshwar Devi temple of Mysuru, Karnataka. This gorgeous temple is one of the Shakti Peethas, and a pandal modelled after it seems like a fitting abode for Goddess Durga to arrive at.