Dugga Elo Ghawrey

AK Block Association,
Salt Lake

Theme Artist : Bhabatosh Sutar

Idol Artist : Bhabatosh Sutar

Theme : Bari Bindu (The Raindrop)

As visitors enter the pandal, they are welcomed with dhak beats with a difference. The beats are created by drops of water falling on pails and pots in a rectangular fenced-off area. The focus of this Puja is preserving water. The walls depict the layers of soil, how water travels and how it has been degraded. Although Earth is three-parts water, humankind is dependent on a mere 0.3% that lies beneath the soil. How much longer will this sustain us? Hence, the need to preserve rainwater, the need for sustained efforts, is the highlight this year.

Alipore
Sarbojanin

Theme Artist :Anirban Das

Idol Artist : Nemai Pal

Theme : Sawng-Kalpa (The Street Gods)

Bengal has a tradition for humans dressing up as gods and goddesses and performing on the streets. These performances are known by different names — Sawng, Alkap, Bohurupi, and so on. The artistes, however, have remained on the margins. The pandal and its decor illustrate the history of the Sawng, and a Sawng and Alkap troupe is staging shows through the Pujas. The clay idol of Durga and the human performers unite, blending the Bengal’s folk melodies with the arrival of Goddess Durga.

Arjunpur Amra Sabai
Club

Theme Artist : Bhabatosh Sutar

Idol Artist : Bhabatosh Sutar

Theme : Anyadesh (Many Countries Within One)

Outside the pandal is a motorbike laden with luggage, moving in circles yoked to a post in the centre. The bike, Kolu, represents us who are tied to the mill that sucks our sweat and blood. The focus is on Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which provide equality — no one can be discriminated in terms of caste, race, religion, sex and so on. The idol and installations, along with performances, drive home the point that even after more than seven decades our rights are locked in the black letters on white pages of the Constitution.

Purbachal Sakti
Sangha

Theme Artist :Partha Das Gupta

Idol Artist : Partha Das Gupta and Surajit Banik

Theme : Kolkatar Murtikatha (Kolkata’s Street Culture)

They are talking about streets in terms of statues of political, social and cultural entities across the city. They have recreated the statues of Britishers but replaced them with Indian heroes. The pedestals have, however, been replicated as is. Indians have found place of pride inside the pandal while the British rulers have been relegated, “driven” outside. Ma Durga is dressed in a gown like Queen Victoria, a remark on the colonial hangover in arts. There are many other aspects where the British and the Indian have been juxtaposed.

Tala Prattoy

Theme Artist : Susanta Shibani Paul

Idol Artist : Adhir Paul

Theme : Bihin (The Void)

The theme arises from the artist’s search for Durga that is gradually leading him to an infinite horizon, where Durga is a formless sense of existence. The entire installation presents that journey towards that “void”. As one steps in, at times it feels like a roller-coaster ride in the dark, at times it has the suspense and vibes of a sci-fi city. As the visitors walk down to the area of the idol, they almost travel from the outside space to a void, where Durga is the sole power.