In a striking departure from tradition, two Durga Puja pandals off VIP Road are tackling themes rarely discussed in festive settings — one explores the emotional fallout of divorce on children, while the other confronts the trauma of acid attacks.

Barely 10 minutes apart, Golaghata Sammilani and Dakshindari Youths are using art, performance, and symbolism to push the boundaries of what a pandal can represent.

At Golaghata Sammilani, theme-maker Manash Roy focuses not on divorce itself, but on its impact on children caught in the crossfire. “I am not against divorce,” said Roy. “But I want to highlight its effect on children from broken homes. They face social scrutiny and are dragged into legal wrangles, often having to choose one parent over the other.”

The pandal walls are lined with saw blades — each etched with reasons for relationship breakdowns such as ego clashes, jealousy, infidelity, and domestic violence. Between them, children are depicted in a parade, one holding a sign that reads: “What is our fault?” Roy hopes the message haunts every couple going their separate ways.

Scissors jut from the walls, echoing the theme of division, while a sewing machine stands as a hopeful symbol of mending bonds. A Kalighat patachitra shows a babu’s affair with a courtesan, reminding visitors that marital discord is not new. Nearby, a short shadow performance by hand shadowgraphy artist Amar Sen portrays parents drifting apart, with a child torn between them.

Roy had previously taken on another taboo — menstruation — at a north Calcutta puja last year, addressing how silence around the topic risks women’s hygiene.

Just down the road, Dakshindari Youths confront a more harrowing reality: acid attacks, primarily targeting women. Artist Anirban Das has painted dozens of women in black monochrome, united in silent protest. “After an attack, when the survivor is fighting for life and in trauma, she often can’t participate in the prosecution for months, weakening the case and obstructing justice,” Das said.

Inside the pandal, the same monochrome style depicts female icons from art and literature known for their beauty: Botticelli’s Venus, women in Ajanta cave paintings, Ravi Varma’s Shakuntala, and women from Rajasthani miniature paintings. The etching effect used in the sketches evokes the wrinkled skin that results from acid burns.

A live performance is woven into the experience, with 35 women appearing through gaps in the pandal walls, singing in defiance and walking toward a stage before a jet-black Durga idol.

“We have invited four acid attack survivors who are ready to share their experiences. One of them is coming from Krishnanagar with her child and another all the way from Ghaziabad,” said artist Das.

The secretary of the club, Partha Varma, acknowledged the boldness of the theme. “But it is our social responsibility to create awareness,” he said.

The artist and the organisers were lauded by a special guest — Unesco South Asia chief Tim Curtis — who visited the pandal during his Calcutta trip on Thursday.

“This is an uncomfortable and unpleasant topic, not something that people want to discuss. But it is also an opportunity to talk about something horrific that one would not mention in everyday life,” Curtis told Metro. “It was as if all these women were Durgas, fighting the demon of acid attacks.”