massArt’s Autumn Art Fair 2025 and the Preview Show of Durga Puja Art opened at Alipore Museum on September 18 before moving in procession to Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha. The five-day fair, featuring nearly 30 pavilions of handicrafts, artistry, workshops, and performances, celebrates Bengal’s living heritage while unveiling a pioneering accessibility programme to ensure Durga Puja’s grandeur can be experienced by all.
The inauguration had an impressive line-up of dignitaries: Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Kolkata and Minister of Urban and Municipal Affairs; Indranil Sen, Minister of State for Tourism; Tim Curtis, director, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office; Kathy Giles-Diaz, Consul General of the US Consulate General Kolkata; Santanu Basu, Principal Secretary, Information & Cultural Affairs; Aarti Thakur, disability rights officer at the United Nations; Chironjeet Ganguly of UNESCO South Asia; Haimanti Banerji of IIT Kharagpur; Sushanta Ghosh, chairman of Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha; and Sayantan Maitra Boka, vice president of massArt.
The evening began with a dazzling chhau dance performance — its rhythm and sweeping movements setting the stage for a celebration that marries devotion with artistry. The performance highlighted the fusion of heritage and innovation that defines Kolkata’s festival season, paving the way for the unveiling of 24 participating pujas in this year’s preview show.
“It is wonderful for me to be here today in Calcutta for this magnificent celebration, and on behalf of UNESCO I am honoured to join you in recognising one of humanity’s most vibrant living heritage traditions. And now, with the launch of accessibility guidelines, Durga Puja truly is accessible to all. Cultural participation is not a privilege but a fundamental human right, and Kolkata’s efforts to make the festival inclusive for senior citizens, children with autism and persons with disabilities set a global example of how living heritage must grow, adapt and embrace every section of society,” said Tim Curtis, UNESCO South Asia director, praising the new accessibility guidelines for pandals across the city.
Mayor Firhad Hakim hailed the festival’s global reach. “Durga Puja, of course, is a religious festival. But, more than that, now, it has become a cultural celebration of the world,” he said.
This year’s Preview Show also launched a pilot accessibility programme with UNESCO and IIT Kharagpur. Senior citizens, children with autism and persons with disabilities will now be able to enter pandals with dignity and ease. Spanning 24 pandals in 2025, the scheme is set to expand to 300 next year, strengthening Kolkata’s claim as not just the world’s largest public art festival, but one of its most inclusive.
