KOLKATA, June 10 -- For the rest of the country, September means three months to Christmas but for Bengalis, it means Durga Puja is almost here. And since it's coming early this year, many Puja committees have already started building their pandals.
Take the Kalyani ITI More Luminous Club, for instance. Their under-construction pandal is already going viral. After recreating Bangkok's Wat Arun last year, this time in 2025, they've picked Myanmar's stunning Hsinbyume Pagoda as the theme.
The pagoda's bright white look and layered architecture is a photographer's paradise. Since 2022, Kalyani ITI More has become a must-visit for pandal hoppers in the districts.
Even visitors from Kolkata travel there just to check out their creative themes. In 2022, they grabbed eyeballs with their Malaysian Twin
Towers pandal. "Every year, we try to come up with something new. We also pay attention to what people suggest on social media. Thanks to that, we now get visitors from all over Bengal, not just Kalyani," said Kanai Chowdhury, one of the officials.
In North Kolkata, Kabiraj Bagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav in Bagmari is celebrating its platinum jubilee and they have decided to recreate the new Digha Jagannath Dham as their theme. The work is already underway.
Meanwhile, Deshapriya Park is also planning a major comeback this year. In 2015, they made headlines with the tallest Durga idol ever, 88 feet high, which led to such a rush that the pandal had to be shut down. The committee hasn't revealed this year's theme yet, but they promise something big is in the works.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.