Burj Khalifa, Bollywood style, 70s vibes, and more! Visit these unique pandals in Kolkata!

Like every year, Kolkata has come up with unique ideas to entice folks to the pandals by being experimental on a whole different level. Here are some of the unique pandals in Kolkata this year.

Being one of the most celebrated cultural festivals in West Bengal, especially Kolkata, Durga Puja holds great prominence for the people and the local Bengali community. Perhaps, this is the reason why the pandals in the city always turn out to be extraordinary every year, inviting a lot of city dwellers and tourists. Even this year, in 2021, with the lockdown not in place, people have set up a few unique pandals in Kolkata that are enough to surprise you and fill you with amazement. So, without any further delay, let's start the ride to these pandals and check them out one by one.

1. Burj Khalifa in town

We are also surprised as you are! But this is true as Kolkata’s Sreebhumi Sporting Club has established a pandal replicating the world's tallest building. The pandal is 145-feet tall and also organizes laser shows at night.

2. Showing the plight

One such pandal, showing the plight of the refugees, who were sent to live in the camps after the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has been set up at Behala’s Barisha Club. Herein, a sculptor of a "migrant mother" has been formed under the theme 'Bhaager Maa‘ (a division of mother). You must check this out for its creativity!

3. Some nostalgia

As we all know, Durga Puja has been culturally associated with Kolkata for a long time. A pandal has been created by the Hatibagan Sarbojanin Club to recreate the Kolkata of 1970s, under the theme, 'Pichutan'. To make this even more convincing, the puja here will be done to show how it used to be performed back in that era.

4. Bollywood is here

Naming the theme, ‘Phiria daou their tan‘, which means, ‘give us back the brush stroke’, a pandal in Nalin Sarkar Street is all set to give the 70's Bollywood look to people. Several hand-painted advertisements and vintage movie posters along with the cutouts of actors have been placed in the pandal, aiming to show how the culture has been lost with the digital age.

5. A tribute to those who died in COVID-19

A pandal has been designed in Nabin Pally Puja to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives due to the deadly infection of Coronavirus. It consists of pictures of the deceased and hanging urns. The demon Mahishasura can be seen here with folded hands, which is intended to give a message that the pandemic is much bigger than any of the evils.

6. Step towards inclusivity

It will be a unique experience for you to visit the pandal at Garima Griha because the transgender community of Kolkata has established here an idol with two faces, one of Lord Shiva and one of goddess Parvati. The idol is termed 'Ardhnarishvara', aiming to show two identities in one being.

7. The library love

Another interesting pandal for all the book lovers out there is at Babubagan, and its theme is a "library". You can see here the big picture of goddess Durga at one fold of a book, which is open and stuck to the wall. Apart from this, the pandal has portraits of Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, and other prominent personalities!

If you know more about such unique pandals, do let us know in the comment section below!

Also Read: A stroll through the moments of merriment in Bengali families during Durga Puja!

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