The temples of Java, a Santhal village, Hogwarts Castle, global warming... reflecting social concerns and depicting creativity at its best, Kolkata's famed Durga Puja.
KOLKATA: The temples of Java, a Santhal village, Hogwarts Castle, global warming... reflecting social concerns and depicting creativity at its best, Kolkata's famed Durga Puja pandals shift in theme - and mood - from the magical to the thoughtful as millions ready to celebrate the five-day festival.
It's when the imagination runs wild. With novelty being the buzzword, most puja organisers have switched from the traditional to the modern and designed innovative marquees to welcome the many who begin celebrating Tuesday onwards.
Eminent painter Jogen Chowdhury has recreated the ancient temples of Java at Selimpur in south Kolkata. "Images of these ancient temples will greet visitors as they walk through the pandal," he said.
At Ramgarh Jaishrinagar, Dakshineswar, on the banks of the Hooghly, the pandal is based on the wonders of Egyptian civilisation. Here, the pyramids have been created with jute bags and papers.
The pandal at F.D. Block in Salt Lake has already captured headlines with its replica of Harry Potter's school of magic with a summons from the Delhi High Court on copyright violations.
The giant sized Hogwart's Castle shooting up in the sky is not just a delight for children.
"I am sure the pandal will be a hit among the kids what with Potter mania sweeping the country," Hiranmoy Chowdhury, block committee president, said, relieved after emerging unscathed in the Rs.2 million legal suit for recreating the castle without the permission of the Harry Potter publishers.
In Putiyari Club, one of Kolkata's leading puja organisations, the pandal has given a tribal touch. The entire structure has been decorated with tribal artefacts and modelled on a village in West Bengal's Bankura district.
The most interesting feature of the decoration is a 42-ft flute-like entrance, a perfect combination of Bengali's ancient tradition, which has died out with the ravages of time, and modern art.
Agradut Club in the twin district Howrah has also taken up the same tribal theme in its own way.
"We had recently celebrated 60 years of Indian independence. The contribution of Santhals to the freedom struggle, especially Sidhu and Kanhu, who laid down their lives for the country, is still etched in people's memory. We have tried to highlight the contribution of the tribal community and their struggle for day to day existence," Sabyasachi Roy, a club member, told.
Even after 60 years of freedom, tribal communities are still considered backward and they have to depend on nature to eke out their living, he said, adding that their people were still lagging behind in this age of the internet.
About 60 santhals of Champa Rui village, situated in Hooghly district of West Bengal, will showcase their day-to-day work at the pandal.
For a dekko at the typical Gujarati village, pandal hoppers need to visit the marquee done up by the Suruchi Sangha in south Kolkata. The organisers have brought rural artists from Gujarat to give final touches to the pandal.
In south Kolkata's Hindustan Park, the organisers have portrayed communal harmony. The entire pandal has been decorated with two types of art forms - depicting Greek civilisation and Muslim architecture through clay pottery.
The Khidirpur Panchiser Pally has moved away from the exotic to the frankly contemporary. Their theme is global warming.
Here, the image of goddess Durga has been placed on an earth-shaped object surrounded by water. The image has been shaped according to geometrical patterns, signifying the influence of science and its curse on human lives.
The Basishnavghata Patuli Puja depicts the revival of Bengali literature in an age of Harry Potter mania. "Here viewers will find grandma regaling devotees with stories from yore and then a magic door opens to show a golden temple of Durga," said Rupchand Kundu, who has conceptualised and modelled the pandal.
The backdrop is set, now it only remains for the festivities to begin.
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