Durga Puja: How changing times reflect in the idols of the goddess

In 2015, among the many Durga pujas which made news for various reasons, two drew special attention. Both in north Kolkata, they shot to the top of everybody's must-visit list because of their idols. At Udyami Yuba Brinda's puja, the organisers collaborated with the Pratyay Gender Trust to create India's first ever transgender Durga idol. And at Kanai Dhar Adhibasibrinda's puja, was India's first ever Barbie Durga, complete with daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati in gowns and sons Kartik and Ganesh in suits.

Just in case you thought that was a brave new violation of tradition, even perfunctory research shows that when it comes to the Durga idol, Bengal has been pushing the envelope for a while now. Right from when the occasional babu would commission an idol with the face of Queen Victoria to please the British, to when, in 1941, Subhas Chandra Bose stood closeby instead of Kartik and Ganesh.

Journalist Sudeshna Banerjee gives a vivid description of that puja in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh) in her book, Celebrating the Goddess: Then and Now, "At Durga's feet lay a sahib in military gear — khaki uniform, spiked boots, rifle slung over the shoulder. The Devi, flashing fury from her three eyes, had clutched a tuft of auburn hair. Her mount, the rampant lion, was tearing at his abdomen. Close by, in place of Kartik and Ganesh, stood Subhas Chandra Bose, in dhoti-punjabi and khaddar cap, an unsheathed sword in his hand."

Interestingly, Bose was also associated with another ground-breaking innovation in Kolkata when, as president of the Kumortuli Sarbojanin Puja committee in 1938, he oversaw the overnight creation of a replacement idol after the original was destroyed in a fire a day before the puja was to begin.

That replacement, says current committee convenor Debasish Bhattacharya, gave birth to the concept of the 'art Durga' — in other words, an idol that is aesthetically pleasing and artistically unique, but not traditional. Its creator, Gopeswar Pal, took on the incensed priests, who insisted they would not worship the idol, and supposedly prevailed over them by citing various texts and scriptures. Incidentally, Kumortuli is Kolkata's largest pottery district, with a majority of idols crafted there. Happily, the criticism today is far more muted, and the priests far more accommodating.

Art 'exhibitions'

Today, big-ticket pujas in Kolkata habitually employ the services of renowned artists and sculptors, many of whom call themselves art designers, in the race to be unique. Bhabatosh Sutar, the multiple-award-winning art college graduate whose stunning idols have seamlessly bridged the gap between art and tradition, says he focuses on keeping the "spiritual quality and maternal aspect" of the goddess intact in his creations. That is the only boundary he wishes to impose on his art.

The rise of 'theme pujas' has contributed in large measure to the experimental idols. Susanta Pal, yet another award-winning art designer, and "not a particularly religious person", says Durga puja is probably the only festival in the world "which promotes art, knowingly or unknowingly, on the strength of funds raised through public subscriptions". However, he does draw a line between "gimmickry" and innovation.

Sutar compares the crowds thronging the various pandals to visitors at an art exhibition. However, fellow designer Prasanta Pal would also like to see some boundaries respected. "We've heard of idols made of biscuits, lozenges, spices…which can't be worshipped because of the materials used, so substitutes are worshipped. What's the point?" he asks.

By and large, though, Bengal has been tolerant of all deviations from the norm, whatever the artistic expression. Sociologist Prasanta Ray calls it "an increasingly secular space within the religious space". For a long time now, sociologists and other observers have been inclined to call Durga puja a social, rather than a religious, festival. Ray feels the competitiveness and commerce surrounding the pujas are manifestations of this secular mindset. "There is no purist position on this one," he says.

In 2016, among the notables are an idol which looks like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the circus themed puja at Kumortuli, where the idols simulate circus performers. "The idols must suit the theme," says Bhattacharya. "And our theme is not just a circus, but the many risks that life throws at us."

The last word probably belongs to Pratyay Gender Trust president Bhanu Naskar. "The ardhanarishvara Durga was such a huge hit last year. Why can't a hijra (transgender) worship Ma Durga in the form she wants to?" That applies to all of us, presumably.