Thanks to Mother Goddess, the City of Joy overflows in creative ‘themes’ these Durga Pujas. Go pandal-hopping, you can literally hit upon themes of myriad hues once again transporting you back in ages of folk arts. The artists have taken control of Kolkata’s Pujascape so to say.
Take for instance the Santoshpur Tikon Park Sarbajanin Durga Puja committee lower down in south Kolkata. The organisers here have devised their themes on “Transparency” as distinguished from that what is Opaque so to say. “Once you are transparent you have to be everything else: truthful, sincere and honest. We have projected Divinity in Transparency,” says Amar Sarkar.
A few miles away we have Tridhara Sanmilani, a high-profile Durga Puja committee, has used Tibetan masks as its theme this year round. Already having earned the “Best among the Best Prize” this year the masks have been used to express the myriad moods of the mankind and Mother Nature. “We hope this traditional art form will gel well with the festive mood of the pandal-hoppers” says Debashis Kumar, an organiser and Mayor-in Council of the Kolkata Corporation.
Almost juxtaposing the Tridhara Sanmilani is Ballygunge Cultural Association which has organised a “Futuristic Puja” termed Vision 2024. “Keeping in view the fact that the concept of pandals have changed with the passage of time we are trying to visualise as to how the Pujas would look like 10 years hence,” says Anjan Ukil, an organiser.
Two miles west Badamtala Asharsangha has given shape to Avtaar Kana or Incarnation Particle which has however little connection to what is today known as God Particle. “Avtaar Kana is the nucleus of the eternal energy that that is magnified and manifested in the Avtaar who descends on the earth in the form of Maa Durga to save the humankind from catastrophe. The Mother will one day lick away all the pollution (the Asura) of the earth,” says Debashis Barui the artist.
At Haati Bagaan Sarbojonin in north Kolkata, the organisers have tried to give effect to a happy admixture of Theme and tradition. Here an imported art form from Odisha has been displayed through etching on palm leaf. “Conceived by Sanjib Saha the art form has been brought to life by President Awardee Rabiranjan Parida of Odisha” says Anindya Dasgupta, an organiser.
A few furlongs away the Ahiritola Sarbajonin Durgotsab Samity is bringing alive the passage of “Time” as its main theme. At its 75th year the Club is “depicting the growth of our organisation since its birth in 1940. There is an active effort to break free of the concept of immediate time,” says Dulal Chandra Seal, an organiser.
Cut to Bosepukur Talbagaan where the organisers have invoked the essence of Flower to combine the elements of Shakti that combines raw, interminable energy with eternal tenderness.
Further north at Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha, the organisers have tried to forge a link between Haryana and Bengal. “This year we have tried to focus on Haryana’s folk-art. Every year the Haryanvi women make carvings or patchitras on cow dungs before the Holi. Our theme revolves around that. And we have used items like wooden khatia, mud and colourful ropes,” says Joy Sengupta, a senior organiser.