Arambagh Puja this year will highlight the jute industry and other lost art forms of Bengal. Ankita Jain reports. Photos by Pankaj Kumar
The theme pandal is no longer the copyright of Kolkata with statement pieces adorning the city skyline with as much flourish if not with as much frequency. So, the Arambagh Puja this year, which has for the last two years been grabbing eyeballs, is focusing on India’s dying jute industry by recreating a pandal with the natural fibre.
In a grand message of eco friendliness, the jute construct is embellished by folksy Madhubani paintings and different murals made of skins of betel nuts under the direction of Tapan Bose, internationally acclaimed creative director. “Craftsmen and sculptors from different parts of Bengal have been hired to give our idol a touch of aboriginal culture. They had arrived months before in Delhi to sculpt the idol and design the pandal,” said Tapan.
As you enter through the gate of Arambagh Puja Park, located in the West delhi, is being given finishing touches, you are greeted by an imposing 45 feet-high idol of a woman with a diya in hand crafted entirely out of jute. It symbolises that there is still hope for the jute industry which is awaiting a revival like textiles. The whole idol is made of jute sticks with no adornment. Braided handmade jutetokris are scattered here and there. Besides, the artists are thinking of using jute bags as the devi’s saree.
Recreating mini-Kolkata with food and festivity galore, Arambagh Puja will not only brighten up the festivities through the giant structure carved out of jute but also create a special space where the photographs of 17 soldiers will be put across to pay homage to the Uri attack victims.
“Uri attack has been a big incident and we cannot ignore it. Durga Puja, itself is a symbol of the victory of good over evil. It is all about asurik shakti ka vinash and the same goes for the end of terrorism in our country. We have been in creative discussions over how to highlight the sacrifice of our martyrs, and came up with this special space in the pandal where people can lit diyas and pay homage,” said Abhijit Bose, Executive Chairman, Arambagh Puja.
“Also, we are in talks with various government departments to preserve the jute idol in the museum after the puja. One such idol is already preserved in one of the museums in Kolkata,” added Abhijit.
Over the years the décor of Durga has changed. And in its 28th year, the idols at this Durga Puja have been sculpted with jute and mud. A smaller Durga idol made of clay will be used for aarti as well as immersion. And the whole space is divided into two halves where two different pandals are being built. This is the first time the committee has come up with this idea to divide the heavy number of footfalls during the puja. The first pandal will be for puja and the other for the cultural programmes.
Apart from the decoration, lost art forms of Bengal such as Baul, Chou, Gambhira,Yatra, Kavigaan, etc will be performed during the puja to highlight these art forms among the new generation.
Artists ofDokra and Patkatha(scroll-reading) will also prepare portraits of various fictions live.
“In Delhi, people usually ask for normal gaze full of compassion and mercy. And then there are those who want the fashionable look. But this year’s puja will be completely eco-friendly and also it is an effort to search roots from the unexplored mines of our lost tunes, arts and crafts. Moreover, it is time to look back to our simple and harmonious roots which are pollution free,” said Subrata Kar, artist of international repute, who is decorating the pandal this year.