Durga Puja is the much-awaited celebration of love, laughter and happiness. This elaborate ten days festival brings so much more than just prayers and prashad; it is that time of the year when Bengal gets to boast its awe-inspiring creativity and craftwork. An immense amount of hard work goes behind building puja pandals (makeshift temples) every year. With just minimum resources, the craft masters of the state create stunning masterpieces every year. Some of the oldest clubs of Kolkata have made it a point to surprise the pandal hoppers each year with their unique themes and decor.
Here is a list of the best-themed pandals of 2018 that you should keep your eyes on this year and grab those VIP passes as soon as possible.
This pandal is organised by Sreebhumi Sporting Club, annually. It is one of the popular places to be in Kolkata during the Pujas. Last year, the club decided to come up with a Rajasthani-themed-pandal inspired by the film Padmavat. This was in the backdrop of the buzz created by the film before its release. The idol was adorned with real gold jewellery of 12kg completely sponsored by private entities. Similarly, in 2017, film Bahubali outlined the inspiration behind the pandal decoration.
This year’s theme is another much talked about event of the year, Chandrayaan II. The design aims to show that the moon is not far anymore.
Location: Lake Town, East Kolkata
The club has been creating remarkable pandals for enthusiastic visitors for 77 years now. Last year, the club created a replica of the Brihadeshwara Temple of Tamil Nadu. The pandals here are known for the exquisite 16-feet tall pratima (idol) designed by Santan Rudra Pal.
This year, alongside the16 feet tall idol, the club plans to create a replica of Jatoli Shiva Temple of Himachal’s Solan.
Location: Ballygunge, South Kolkata
Every year, the Chetla Agrani Club comes up with unique themes. Its uniqueness lies in the resources they use and the concept they work on. Last year, the illustrations revolved around the feeling of loneliness that one experiences after one's loss, and it was called ‘Bisharjan’. Designed to let go of everything negative, this pandal attracted visitors in huge numbers.
This year’s theme is based on the nostalgia of Bengal. The Pandal will showcase Bengal’s journey to modernisation with time.
Location: New Alipore
The club has been successfully installing pandals for 32 years and attracts visitors in large numbers. Last year’s theme ‘Time’ was designed and conceptualised by artist Sushanta Pal. In addition to the grand pandals, every year, the club pays its tribute to a famous personality.
This year’s theme for the Naktala Pandal is 'Birth'. The artist behind this unique concept is Bhabatosh Sutar.
Location: Naktala, South Kolkata
The club comes up with interesting themes every year. In 2018, the whole pandal was made from beetle leaves. These leaves were bought from Isha Foundation in Coimbatore and symbolically represented the use of waste. Just like after ageing a person becomes a liability, fallen leaves also are of no use to most of us.
Bakul Bagan is coming up with a pandal completely inspired by the age-old form of painting (of mythological characters); Pattachittra. This is a traditional art form which is said to be originated from Orissa.
Location: Bhowanipore, South Kolkata
Another well-known pandal in South Kolkata is Tridhara Sammilani. The club has completed 72 years of pandal making and aims at completing many more. Last year’s theme aimed at spreading awareness about the old craftworks, which has somehow lost its importance in the mechanised world. Gouranga Kulia is the man behind the theme.
This year’s theme for the pandal is ‘perception’. It aims to portray different perceptions of life. In the chaotic events of hatred, the pandal will symbolically try to prove how important is it to understand other’s perspectives. Gouranga Kulia is the concept designer.
Location: Dover Terrace, South Kolkata
The Hazra Park Durgostab has been coming up with exciting new pandals since 1942. In the beginning, these pandals were only exclusively accessible to the scavengers (Dalits) employed by Kolkata Municipal Corporation, but over the years, the place has become a hot spot for the visitors.
This year’s theme for the pandal is ‘password’. In today's times when our whole world revolves around digital passwords, we have forgotten the real password to happiness.
Location: Jatin Das Park, South Kolkata
The Samaj Sebi Sangha Puja’s theme of 2018 twirled around the idea of sparsh (to touch). This was to portray how people with vision disability feel the presence of idols in the pandals.
This year the creators are trying to showcase the hard work of those thousand faceless artists, whose contribution results in such a stunning piece of arts. The club will also offer a special experience for people with autism.
Location: Ballygunge, South Kolkata
Celebrating its 81st anniversary in 2018, the Kashi Bose Lane decided to surprise its visitors with one of the most unique theme ever. Their theme was ‘balcony’. The designers decided to take the creativity a notch up. The sheer nostalgia of the colonial concrete balconies made the pandal an attractive spot in 2018.
This year the committee aims to address the issue of ‘water crisis’ through the pandal.
Location: Maniktala, North Kolkata
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