Durga Puja festivities 2026: Kolkata's Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity marks 91st year with 'Beyond Sound' theme

Kolkatarsquos Durga Puja season is beginning to take shape and Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity is already looking to make a strong impression with its 91st editionThe North Kolkata puja committee has unveiled its theme lsquoBeyond Soundrsquo setting the stage for a celebration that organisers believe could draw large crowds and add another striking chapter to the cityrsquos famed festive landscapeThe unveiling has also brought back one of Kolkatarsquos most familiar Durga Puja conversations mdash the friendly competition between the cityrsquos north and southWith committees across Kolkata increasingly using elaborate themes installations and artistic concepts to attract visitors Chorebaganrsquos organisers believe this year could see North Kolkata make a particularly strong showingChorebagan bets on lsquoBeyond Soundrsquo theme to draw crowdChief Advisor of Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity Tamoghna Ghosh said the excitement surrounding Durga Puja in Bengal was already building and expressed confidence that the committeersquos latest theme would stand out among the cityrsquos many celebrationsldquoDurga Puja in Bengal is always special but this year it promises to be even better drawing even more eager visitorsrdquo Ghosh said adding that he believed the Chorebagan theme would be among the finest in KolkataFor the organisers however the scale of the festival is about more than simply attracting visitors The themed pandals have become an important part of Kolkatarsquos festive identity with committees competing to create experiences that combine devotion architecture design and storytellingGhosh said this competitive spirit could work in North Kolkatarsquos favour this year ldquoThis time North Kolkata is set to outshine South Kolkatardquo he saidBJP MLA Vijay Ojha also pointed to the rivalry as an enduring part of Kolkatarsquos Durga Puja culture According to him committees put considerable effort into their themes and decorations in the hope of attracting the largest crowds of devoteesWhile South Kolkata has traditionally been considered a major destination for themed pujahopping Ojha said committees across the city continue to push themselves to create increasingly elaborate celebrations He singled out Chorebaganrsquos latest effort saying its theme could draw massive crowds and set a new benchmark for public celebrationsTwo months one ambitious artistic visionBehind the elaborate installations however lies a race against time Theme artist Susanta Shibani Paul said the committee had only around two months to prepare this yearrsquos Puja making the project particularly challengingPaul said the preparations were also taking place under a new administration in Bengal adding another layer to the processDespite the compressed timeline the team is aiming to finish the work before the local community preview following which the venue will be opened to the publicThe tight schedule has not diminished the ambition behind the project Paul sees Kolkatarsquos Durga Puja as having moved far beyond conventional festive decoration describing it as a vast streetart celebration that has the potential to gain even greater international recognitionHe argued that the sheer scale of Kolkatarsquos festival gives it a distinctive place on the global cultural map with neighbourhoods transformed every year through temporary architecture installations and artistic interpretationsFrom Durga Puja to Jagannath a shared devotional connectThe celebrations also brought a distinctly Odishalinked spiritual perspective to the festivities Daitapati Bhabani Das Mahapatra Chief Sevayat of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri spoke about the deep devotional connection that Lord Jagannath and Maa Durga share in BengalMahapatra said both deities hold a special place in the hearts of people in the state describing the preparations for Durga Puja as an expression of that devotionDrawing a parallel with the grand Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath he said Bengalrsquos celebrations for Maa Durga were similarly marked by scale meticulous planning and collective participationHis comments added another dimension to the festivities mdash linking Kolkatarsquos contemporary pandal culture with a broader tradition of devotion that extends beyond regional boundariesAs Chorebagan prepares to open its doors to visitors lsquoBeyond Soundrsquo is therefore poised to become more than just another Puja themeIt arrives at the intersection of Kolkatarsquos artistic ambition the friendly NorthSouth rivalry the pressure of creating a major installation in just two months and the enduring devotional traditions that continue to define Bengalrsquos biggest festivalWith inputs from ANI