IIT-Kgp SOP to make world’s biggest art fest more accessible
Times of India | 19 August 2025
Kolkata: Nudged by Unesco, Durga Puja — the world's biggest art festival — is striving to become the best by making it inclusive and accessible. The state govt has appointed IIT-Kharagpur to prepare accessibility guidelines and safety SOP for the festival. The draft guidelines that will be ready in a week will be piloted during the preview show of Durga Puja Art 2025 scheduled between Sept 18 and 22 and anchored by MassArt, which has been holding the event since 2022.
"The initiative aims at ensuring that elderly people, specially abled visitors, women and kids can participate in the festivities without facing any barriers," said IIT-Kharagpur department of architect & planning professor Haimanti Banerji at an event to announce the details of the preview show on Monday.
The safety SOP will include emergency evacuation plan and what puja organisers will do if people get lost. "They will comprise visual cues and textual information to guide visitors seamlessly through the pandals, enhancing safety and inclusivity," explained Banerji. The project will debut across the 24 pujas participating in the preview show and later extended to other pandals during the festival. "We want to make it more accessible to elderly people, specially abled, women, and children. This initiative is about celebrating Durga Puja as a festival for all," said Junhi Han, chief of sector for culture, Unesco in New Delhi, who joined through a conference call.
The Bengal govt has extended support to the project. "The state supports the festival in multiple ways, from providing aid to puja organisers to organising the carnival. We will also help roll out the accessibility guidelines," said Kausik Basak, special commissioner and EO, director of culture, information and cultural affairs department.
There will be an Autumn Art Fair held concurrently along with the preview show. "The fair will showcase art installations, lighting designs, and thematic objects used in pandals," said museum director Jayanta Sengupta . "Last year, 5,392 foreigners participated, and we expect the number to be even bigger this year," said Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, secretary of MassArt.