DUM DUM PARK YUBAK BRINDA 

Year: 50th

Budget: Rs 27 lakh

Theme: Mukti 

Theme-maker: Shibshankar Das

The look: A huge bird is perched on the ground with its wings spread across a span of 19-ft, its throat and head forming the central pivot. Visitors enter the pandal under the wings. On the outer periphery, 3,500 shapes of butterflies have been cast in iron. Hand-held coconut scrapers form their body. Cast iron plates used for mixing cement and sand have been painted brick red and attached to the inner walls of the pandal upturned. The walls of the sanctum sanctorum have been coloured to give the impression of autumn sky. The devi herself will have fibre wings. 

Organiserspeak: “We are using steel pipes to provide the structural framework. About 450 pipes, of 20-ft  length, have been used,” says Rana Sengupta, secretary. 

DUM DUM PARK SARBOJANIN

Year: 65th

Budget: Rs 28 lakh

Theme: Darshan

Theme-maker: Sourajit Banerjee

The look: Two huge eyes stand horizontally, slightly overlapping at the centre. The overlapping part forms the entrance to the pandal. One eye is a collage of 15,000 copper koshas, the other of 10,00 bell metal plates. Over the entrance are structures resembling lotus petals. The inside walls are draped with namaboli on which mini wooden slippers have been attached. Look up for a hypnotic effect with 10,000 clay shells of tubdis hanging at varying heights from a dark recess. 

Organiserspeak: “We need to see with our outer eye as also with our inner eye. That is why our idol looks like the Mother Goddess would when we close our eyes and imagine her — totally traditional. We are using puja materials to decorate the pandal,” said joint secretary Subhrajit Majumdar.

DUM DUM PARK TARUN DAL

Year: 39th

Budget: Rs 30 lakh

Theme: Ma

Theme-maker: Anirban Das

The look: The panel depicts things that a mother does. The walls of the approach are lined with kantha stitch cloth, patachitra and cow dung cakes. Wooden panels are etched with women in action in domestic settings. The corridor itself is shaped like a bnoti with its vertical knife standing at a height of 14-ft. The inner courtyard has a giant chaki dotted with patachitra lined by gigantic etched beluns. The pandal itself is shaped like a clay oven. Look up to spot hundreds of cow dung cakes hanging from the ceiling. A nora for grinding forms the backdrop of the goddess. Assam boy Debtosh Kar is making the idol.

Organiserspeak: “The cow dung cakes outside are artificial, made of a mix of cement and plaster of Paris, but the ones hanging inside are real. We are also getting Joy Sarkar to compose a lullaby as theme music,” says Biswajit Prasad, secretary. 

DUM DUM PARK BHARAT CHAKRA

Year: 16th

Budget: Rs 30 lakh

Theme-maker: Sanjib Saha

The look: Copper filigree work forms the core of the decora of this pandal. An 8-ft peacock with its wings spread stands at the entrance. There are 11 intricately designed pillars standing inside the pandal. Concealed lights are focused on each, causing a glow to emanate.

DUM DUM PARK TARUN SANGHA

Year: 31st

Budget: Rs 35 lakh

Theme: 10-ey dawsh

Theme-maker: Amar Sarkar

The look: Heads of demons, about 3.5-ft masks, glare at visitors from the walls as one walks in. Iron rods tower overhead bent in shapes of datura flowers, a favourite of Shiva. Inside the pandal, slokas are written over the entry and exit points. At eye level there are smaller demon masks. On the ceiling, 19,000 lotuses made of aluminium foils hang from the Third Eye dotted with a variety of auspicious symbols. There will be a revolving light scattering downward while a smoke machine hidden in a huge lotus shape, directly underneath, will belch out smoke, creating a mystical atmosphere.

Organiserspeak: “The Mother watches over all of us. And we need to be united and armed always to fight against surrounding evils,” Swapan Bhattacharya, a club member.

 

LAKETOWN ADHIBASHIBRINDA

Year: 54th

Budget: Rs 18 lakh

Theme: Karo dushanmukto dhora, Ano bishwe shantidhara

Theme-maker: Nayan Metya

The look: Penguins, snowflakes and snow on branches create an all-white ice world. The half dozen penguins, made of fibre, are placed in moats at the sides with wooden boats floating on them. Wooden cottages remind one of habitation in subzero conditions. The idol has an ashtadhatu effect. 

Organiserspeak: “Here Nature is seen as a form of Durga. We will use a six-tonne AC to keep the pandal ice cold. A foam machine will create an effect of snowfall,” said Somnath Das, joint secretary. 

PRADEEP SANGHA, LAKE TOWN

Year: 36th

Budget: Rs 10 lakh

Theme: Jagatey paritrata Pradeep Sanghey beejmata

The look: A deep red planetarium-style structure stands on the playground. Inside the pandal, clouds of cotton wool float. 
Organiserspeak: “Our land is so fertile yet Bengal has seen famines. We pray to the goddess of vegetation so there are no more famines,” says Babu Das, a club member.

SREEBHUMI

Year: 44th

Budget: Unknown

The look: The Jagannath temple of Puri has been recreated, along with the front porch, natamandir and bhoga mandap as well. The idol will be adorned in gold jewellery, courtesy Senco Gold & Diamonds. The lighting is being done by Babu Pal of Chandernagore. 

Organiserspeak: “Like women’s age, our puja budget too should not be disclosed. We have procured the original red and golden yellow flags that are flown atop the Puri temple for our pandal. Craftsmen from Puri will also come to make khajas which will be distributed on the puja days as bhog,” said organiser Sujit Bose.

ULTADANGA SANGRAMI

Year: 54th 

Budget: Rs 18 lakh

Theme: Padmavati

Theme-maker: Sourajit Banerjee

The look: Patachitra is painted on the walls inspired by Manasamangal Kavya. Hundreds of burnt clay figurines in Bankura style are placed in kulungis, decorated with alpona, on the 20-ft boundary wall. 

Organiserspeak: Padmavati is  another name for the snake goddess Manasa. Hence the connection of our puja to Manasamangal,” said joint secretary Bijon Saha.

UNITED CLUB, ULTADANGA

Year: 54th

Budget: Rs 8 lakh

Theme: Rashleela

Theme-maker: Dipankar Saha

The look: Durga stands in a Krishna-like posture. She is unarmed. Mahishasura is present symbolically, in the head of a buffalo. 

TELENGABAGAN

Year: 51st

Budget: Rs 35 lakh

Theme: Oparer sajey eparer pujo

Theme-maker: Partha and Siddhartha Ghosh

The look: A shehnai player looms at the start of the alley off Ultadanga Main Road. The royal Bengal tiger snarls through 10 6-ft masks as one approaches the pandal. A boat with oarsmen blocks the goddess from view at the entrance compelling one to go further in. There are 400 smaller tiger masks on the walls. Alpona and earthen pitchers form another recurrent motif. Naba Pal’s idol is ekchala with an elaborate chalchitra.

Organiserspeak: “The inspiration behind our theme is the Bengali new year celebration in Bangladesh where a probhat pheri comes out with tableaux and walks on the main road decorated with alpona leading to the Bhasha Shahid Smarak,” says artist Partha Ghosh. 

KANKURGACHHI YUBAK BRINDA

Year: 85th

Budget: Rs 30 lakh

Theme: Ranga hashi rashi rashi

Theme-maker: Krishanu Pal

The look: Get welcomed by 7-ft fibre figures of eight women, every inch of their garment and cheeks filled with patachitra. Some carry dhunuchi, some a conchshell. Colourful patachitra adorns each corner of the pandal’s interiors including the sanctum sanctorum where the walls are done up with bow-like shapes of boats. At the centre is an installation brilliantly lit by concealed red lights. 

Organiserspeak: “We are depicting sindoor khela. The red light of the installation represents vermillion thrown up in the air. We even had to devise a story on sindoor khela on the basis of which to get the patachitra done,” said club member Santanu Saha. 

MITALI

Year: 80th

Budget: Rs 25 lakh

Theme: Upashana

Theme-maker: Sourajit Banerjee

The look: The pandal uses articles of worship from ghot, pitcher, incense stick holder, koshakushi... But the central installation is made out of scrub sponges that one uses at home to clean utensils. A red glow emanates from its base creating a mystical ambience. The idol is seated on a buffalo. 

Organiserspeak: “Our inauguration will take place on October 5 at 6pm,” said club member Kanchan Mullick. 

BELIAGHATA 33 NO. PALLI BASHI BRINDA

Year: 16th

Budget: Rs 30 lakh

Theme: Nostalgia

Theme-maker: Sibsankar das

The look: The pandal looks like a garage for Ambassadors, especially the yellow cabs. The doors of Ambassadors form an arched gateway. Actual life-size façades of vehicles have been attached to inner walls while half a dozen bodies have been placed atop the sliding pandal roof giving the impression of cars being caught in traffic. From the hood of each car a lamp stand comes out, connecting machine to a sense of worship. Tyres line the base of the walls. Even Durga’s entourage is seated on a throne placed on the roof of a taxi.

Organiserspeak: “The yellow cabs are a symbol of Calcutta but with production coming to a halt for Ambassadors they will soon become a part of history. That’s why I thought of paying a tribute to our cabs by using its parts — doors to silencer pipes — to decorate a pandal,” said Das.

NABAMILAN

Year: 85th

Budget: Rs 25 lakh

Theme: Matir Manush

Theme-maker: Sandip and Rakhi Mukherjee

The look: Forty thousand earthen cups are being painted to be given a metallic finish. They are being used to create human figures, whose hands are being made out of spouts of hookah chillums. The figures are placed vertically with each figure’s hand extended to touch the one above it. Huge wheels stand under which human figures are getting crushed. On one side there are human figures climing ladders, some succeeding while others are tumbling. 

Organiserspeak: “People are getting crushed by day to day problems under the wheel of progress. Everyone wants to go higher but others want to pull them down,” said president Ashok Mitra. 

RASHMONI BAGAN KISHOR SANGHA

year: 65th

Budget: Rs 12 lakh

Theme: Sahabat sekhalo Moumachhi/ Esho aro thaki kachhakachhi

Theme-maker: Sunny Das

The look: The pandal is a riot of colours with 70,000 paper cups being used to form the outer walls, within each of which is a bulb. This means the pandal looks equally pretty by day and by night. Flowers have been given shape to with loudspeakers, ink droppers and nets have created grasshoppers, tanks of bikes and headlights form bees... Acrylic mirror sheets have been cut and pasted to give an impression of honeycombs. Laser beams will play on visitors’ bodies. Another piece of wall at the centre of the pandal will have light blinking to give the effect of movement — as if thousands of bees are opening and shutting their wings. The idol stands in the queen bee’s chamber.

Organiserspeak: “I have deliberately kept the head of the goddess a bit longer than normal in keeping with the theme of bees,” said Das, the artist.

Pictures by Sudeshna Banerjee