West Bengal’s Durga Puja carnival returns after two-year hiatus; know more about it

There were many things that were paused during the pandemic, and the famous Durga Puja carnival of West Bengal was among them. This year — after a hiatus of two years — it made a flamboyant comeback with dance, music, tight security and a splash of culture and colour.
(Express photo Partha Paul)
Earlier this week, the West Bengal government organised carnivals in different dricts to commemorate the UNESCO recognition — which bestowed Durga Puja with the ‘cultural heritage tag‘ — for which, many top Durga Puja committees displayed their idols and handicrafts. This happened before the immersion.

On Saturday, October 8, award-winning idols from 95 top Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata were paraded at a grand carnival held at the famous Red Road in the city amid tight security.
(Express photo Partha Paul)
The tableaux made a colourful splash, and the puja committees showcased the brilliant craftsmanship before West Bengal chief miner Mamata Banerjee, representatives of UNESCO and diplomats of different countries.
Indian Express had previously reported that the programme started with a show the Kolkata Police’s ‘Daredevil’ force. Later, Banerjee herself joined some Santhali dancers along with miner Birbaha Soren and actor Oindrila Bose.
(Express photo Partha Paul)
Accompanied dhaak beats, puja committees of College Square, Sreebhumi Sporting Club, Singhi Park and others displayed their intricately-designed traditional idols.
(Express photo Partha Paul)
Many theme-based crowd-puller idols like Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani, Dumdum Park Tarun Dal and Behala Natun Dal showcased their artworks. All the 95 participating puja committees are recipients of the state-sponsored ‘Biswa Bangla’ award.
(Express photo Partha Paul)
The programme started at 4.30 pm and went on till 9.15 pm.
The carnival has been organised the state government since 2016, except for the last two years on account of the pandemic. In December 2021, the biggest festival in West Bengal and among the Bengali community in India and around the world got a heritage tag the UN, which added ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ to the ‘Representative L of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ l.
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