Women's Safety and Folk Art at Durga Puja in the National Capital Region
The pandal set up by Bangiya Parishad resembles Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Barnaparichay While most Durga Puja pandals celebrate Bengali folk arts and heritage, some in NCR are embracing the theme ...
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The Bangiya Parishad's pandal design is reminiscent of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Barnaparichay. While many Durga Puja pandals in the NCR region showcase Bengali folk arts and traditions, some are focusing on the theme of women's safety to empower goddesses in everyday life. Various pandals in CR Park, such as B-Block's Kashi Vishwanath-inspired setup and the Kali Mandir pandal adorned with alpona motifs, highlight the celebration of heritage. The Milani Cultural and Welfare Association's pandal also emphasizes women's empowerment through its artwork. The Mayur Vihar Ph-1 pandal features hand-painted pankhas reflecting the theme. Additionally, the Cooperative Ground Durga Puja Samity's pandal pays homage to rural Bangla, incorporating elements like Jamini Roy paintings, haath pankha, and Bengali handicraft items. The Durgotsab GK2 pandal showcases Kalighat-style patachitra art on the ceiling, resembling a visual sankirtan, while also featuring a black and white sketch of the workers who constructed the pandal by artist Nilanjan.Located at Pocket 40, CR Park is honoring the traditional folk art from four regions of Bengal – Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, and Midnapur – renowned for their crimson soil. The surroundings are adorned with gamchas hanging from the ceiling while the walls and panels exhibit the rural legacy of the Rahr Bangla areas in Bengal. School teacher and artist Ashish was observed putting final touches on a shora – hand-painted earthen discs – at the Pocket 40 pandal. The theme of 'Abandoned Mothers' is highlighted by the Arambagh Puja Samiti pandal, focusing on the challenges faced by widowed women navigating life independently. Matri Mandir pandal provides a captivating journey into the essence of gram Bangla with vibrant Bengali artwork on display. Over at Jalvayu Vihar Sanskritik Kalyan Samity’s pandal in Sector 21, artists from Bengal have crafted a Bonedi Bari, complete with green wooden windows and ceiling cross beams adorned with paintings celebrating dhunuchi naach. Balaka Durgotsav in Sector 61 Noida showcases the theme 'Temple of Peace and Harmony' with an off-white and gold pandal featuring intricate dove cut-outs. Moving on to Noida Sector 137 Sarbojanin Pujo Samiti’s pandal, visitors are greeted with hand-painted kulos, a hand-woven sieve commonly used in Bengali households. Celebrating Satyajit Ray's cinema and the Ray family's legacy, DLF Phase IV's DCDP Bengali Cultural Society draws inspiration from the film Sonnar Kella with a pandal facade resembling the golden fortress.The structure bears a resemblance to the Sun Temple of Konark in pictures taken by Ajay Kumar Gautam, Ranjit Kumar, Lokesh Kashyap, and Nishad Alam.