The Banga Laxmi Bylane Puja, this year, is sending across a social message that highlights how the seas and biodiversity are being destroyed by plastic discarded by humans.
The idol of the Goddess has been given an ancient look, and the artist is trying to portray it as being rescued by a diver.
The Banga Laxmi Bylane will be celebrating 70 years of Durga Puja this year, and the message they are sending out is of a “Bisorjon” or Immersion.
Asked why the immersion theme instead of a welcoming one, Goutam Roy, puja committee secretary of Banga Laxmi Bylane, said “Actually every year we bid farewell to evil spirits through the immersion and pray for a beautiful world. Nowadays, one such destructive power is marine pollution and one of the biggest cause is plastics. People throw away plastic wherever they want, including the seas. As a result, many marine species are dying. We are trying to highlight awareness against the use of plastic through our pandal theme.”
The theme installation inside the pandal replicates the beauty under the sea and also the various marine organisms.
The entire pandal is crafted in wood, mats, sponge and with pieces of plastic. At night with the light and sound effects, pandal visitors will feel as if they are under the sea.
This effect is really aesthetic. After the tireless work of the last three months, we have been able to implement the idea as far as possible in the pandal and I hope the visitors will enjoy my work, said Rajesh Das, the artist who has themed the Puja.