Unesco wants to make Durga puja of Calcutta, which it has inscribed in 2021 on its representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity, accessible to senior citizens and the challenged.

In response to an appeal from the NGO massArt, which it has partnered since the inception of the Puja art preview show in 2022, Unesco has approached the state government and IIT Kharagpur for help in this regard.

MassArt is hosting its fourth preview show from September 18 to 22, offering hassle-free entry to 23 community pujas and an aristocratic family puja to pass holders. Passes this year are complimentary. Online applicants to the massArt website will be vetted based on official age proof and disability certificates.

The show has gained popularity as entrance is restricted to pass-holders from 6pm to 4am on those dates.

Unesco officials virtually participated in Monday's launch from Delhi and highlighted the robust tourist participation (185 million, including 17,000 international visitors, in 2024) in Durga puja. “Despite the festival’s global appeal, its benefits remain unequally accessible... due to the absence of infrastructure... contrary to the spirit of inclusivity enshrined in the Unesco’s goals and the Indian government’s policy commitments,” said Junhi Han, Unesco's chief of sector for culture.

This concern made Unesco reach out to IIT Kharagpur to frame accessibility guidelines for the Pujas and to the state government, to seek help for its implementing partner massArt. Training puja committee volunteers in disability inclusion and accessibility support is part of Unesco’s vision.

An IIT Kharagpur team did a recce of some pandals. “We will shortly give generic modular guidelines which organisers can customise according to their context,” Prof. Haimanti Banerji of the department of architecture and regional planning, IIT Kharagpur, told Metro. She underscored the need for not just tools of physical accessibility, like ramps, but also confidence-boosting measures to help the vulnerable overcome their fear to venture out to pandals. The guidelines will cover the route from the vehicle drop-off point to the pandal exit.

The onus of communication will be on the information and cultural affairs department. “A stakeholders’ meeting will soon be held where Calcutta Police will present its views. We will run a pilot project this year before the model is rolled out,” said Kaushik Basak, special commissioner and ex-officio director of culture.

An art exhibition, curated by Sayantan Maitra Boka, will be held at Alipore Museum. “We are offering some of our unused cells,” museum director Jayanta Sengupta said. Elements of the décor of the 23 participating pandals will be sold. Tourists can also watch idol-making live.

“Last year, 5,392 foreigners visited our preview show. This year, we want to offer the same barrier-free access to our senior and differently able citizens as well,” said Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, secretary, massArt.