Kolkata Ma Durga idol as migrant worker impresses B’wood stars, fans

BY AHANA BHATTACHARYA Kolkata, Oct 19 : Every year, Durga Puja committees in the city compete with each other in an attempt to surprise patrons with new and unique themes in pandal and idol concepts. The Covid scare has obviously not dampened spirits this year. The craze to be innovative is on.
Among the popular pujas in the city is the Barisha Club Durga Puja in Behala. This year, their innovation lies in idol design. Ma Durga is imagined as a female migrant worker. Her children — Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kartik and Ganesh — are toddlers.
The theme is a brainchild of concept designer Rintu Das and is brought alive by sculptor Pallab Bhowmick from Krishnanagar in Bengal’s Nadia district. The idea aims at paying tribute to the resilience of the thousands of migrant workers who walked for miles and across states to reach home amid lockdown.
Das and Bhowmick’s effort has caught the attention of several Bollywood celebrities, and photographs of the Durga idol are going viral on social media.
Actress Raveena Tandon shared a photo of the Durga idol and tweeted: “Moving work by sculptor Pallab Bhowmick for this year’s pujo in one of the major pandals of Kolkata — Ma Durga as a migrant worker with her children. #MaShakti.” “No matter what people tell you, words n ideas can change the world — Most stunning depiction of #maadurga by Bengal artist Pallab Bhowmik. Maa Durga as migrant worker with her children. Wishing you all #HappyNavratri,” tweeted Urmila Matondkar.