Kolkata Durga Puja pandals explore art, inclusion and harmony with nature

Kolkatas Durga Puja pandals are exploring diverse themes this year with Behalas Debdaru Phatak Club drawing inspiration from 19thcentury Kalighat paintings Haridevpurs 41 Pally Club highlighting transgender inclusion and north Kolkatas Kashi Bose Lane celebrating nature and community life through Warli artAt Behalas Debdaru Phatak Club the theme seeks to reinterpret the distinctive aesthetics of Kalighat patachitra through the lens of modern urban life offering visitors a glimpse of an art form that captured the changing social landscape of colonialera KolkataThe club has collaborated with Team Upasana Chattopadhyay to conceptualise and execute the themeKalighat paintings gained popularity in Bengal during the 19th century when patua artists used bold visual expressions humour satire and irony to portray the transformation of urban societyAlongside religious and mythological figures their works depicted everyday life social conventions and the fleeting attractions of material pursuitsThe Debdaru Phatak Club has sought to revive this artistic legacy by adapting its visual language to the contemporary Durga Puja settingTitled Kalir Atale Mahamaya Mahamaya in the Depths of Kali the theme brings together the Kalighat painting tradition and the worship of Goddess DurgaWe wanted to connect two traditions deeply rooted in Bengali cultural identity Kalighat painting and the worship of Maa Durga Kalighat and Maa Durga are both deeply ingrained in the Bengali psyche We have tried to bring the two together and present them as a unified theme I hope visitors will appreciate what we have attempted within our limited means Atanu Ghosh a key officebearer of the puja committee saidAround a kilometre away the 41 Pally Club in Haridevpur has used its theme O Men and Women to question discrimination against transgender people and call for greater acceptance of the communityThe theme challenges what the organisers describe as a culture of disdain neglect mockery and exclusion that pushes transgender people to the margins of society and makes them feel ashamed of their identityThe same Nature the same Divine Creator who created you created us too a spokesperson for the puja committee said arguing that gender diversity is part of the natural orderDrawing on Hindu mythology the organisers refer to Lord Shivas form of Ardhanarishvara representing the union of masculine and feminine energies and Arjunas adoption of the identity of Brihannala during his exile in the MahabharataThe theme also invokes the divine forms of Krishna and Kali to underline the coexistence of dualitiesThe club highlights the exclusion of transgender people from experiences traditionally associated with womanhood including motherhood while emphasising their emotional bonds with childrenThe Creator has denied us the experience of motherhood The laughter of a child the call of Ma these may belong to you And yet we consider ourselves the mother of every child the theme statement says describing the joy and fulfilment transgender people find in caring for childrenOver 10 km away in north Kolkata the Kashi Bose Lane Durga Puja committee has chosen Aadim as its theme for 2026 celebrating the simplicity of life and the ageold relationship between human beings nature and the earth through the traditional Warli art formThe theme draws inspiration from Warli art which depicts everyday life work festivals music dance and the spirit of togetherness through simple lines colours and geometric forms Puja committee President Somen Dutta told PTIThe theme Aadim represents a journey back to the roots celebrating the elemental aspects of human existence and the harmonious coexistence of people and nature according to the organisersWarli art known for its distinctive visual representation of rural life provides the central artistic inspiration for the puja bringing together traditional expressions and contemporary presentationDutta described the concept as an attempt to rediscover the beauty of lifes simple rhythms through art colour and formThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever