Varied themes to greet visitors at different Pujas
The Statesman | 5 July 2025
Themes for Durga Pujas are being unveiled in the city as the Puja committees perform their Khunti Pujas.
While one of the organisers is banking on the old-world charm of the yesteryears’ Kolkata, another one is creating special effects to mesmerise the visitors. The artists are holding centre stage as themes become the most talking point during pandal-hopping.
Kathal Bagan Sarbajanin at Entally in central Kolkata has banked on the theme ‘Rajanandini’. The Puja committee is trying to project the opulence of the royal palaces, the nobility of the royal women, and the tradition of Bengali royal families. Rajanandini may be of royal origin but she is also a symbol of power, opulence, and intelligence. Rajanandini here is Ma Durga, who symbolises beauty and also tenderness of motherhood and power.
The organisers said through Rajanandini, they are depicting the women of Bengal, who are brave, pillars of the family, society and country. The depiction of the royal world is also a tribute to the Bengal of yore. “The theme was born out of the present women, who are educated, cultured and have leadership qualities. We are creating a thakur dalan (open spaces in the houses for worshipping), which will be a permanent place in our puja area. The concept is shabekiana (old-world charm),” said joint secretary of the Puja committee Soumyadip Das.
A Durga Puja committee in New Town has gone with the theme of illusion. The theme they have named ‘phuler majhe, phuler shaje, Ma Durga moder majhe’ (Goddess Durga decked in flowers and placed within flowers).
The artist who is creating the special effect is Rintu Das, a govt art college graduate, who used to design Republic Day tableaux in Delhi and came back to Kolkata to work as theme artist.
Mr Das says he is creating a huge flower, through which the visitors will enter the pandal, and then they will be greeted with flower petals falling on them. “I am going to create a special effect with lights, which will give the effect that one can see the goddess from all corners of the pandal. It is all illusion and this is a result of my experimenting with the special effects,” said Mr Das, who is not yet ready to reveal much.
The artist is simultaneously working for Naktala Udayan Sagha and Chakraberia in south Kolkata.