From transforming everyday materials into artistic expressions of devotion to taking the spirit of Durga Puja beyond the pandal and into communities, three initiatives across Kolkata are exploring different ways to make the festival more meaningful.
While Techno India Group and Tridhara Sammilani have placed sustainability at the heart of their Durga Puja initiatives, Maharaja Manindra Chandra College’s Journalism Department has focused on sharing the joy of the festival with underprivileged communities.
Together, the initiatives reflect how the celebration of Goddess Durga’s homecoming can extend beyond rituals and grandeur to embrace environmental responsibility, creativity, education and social inclusion.
Techno India Group turns scrap metal into a symbol of Shakti
At the Techno India Main Campus in Salt Lake, Techno India Group has unveiled a seven-foot eco-friendly idol of Maa Durga under the theme ‘Sustainable Shakti’. Conceptualised and crafted by art teachers from Techno India Group Public Schools (TIGPS) in Garia, Mankundu and Ariadaha, the idol has also been created with the enthusiastic participation of students from the group’s schools, colleges and university.
This year’s idol has been crafted using rusted iron pipes, discarded machinery parts, old metal components, traditional brass puja utensils such as plates and glasses, iron chains and other reused materials. By transforming discarded and unused materials into a representation of Maa Durga, the initiative demonstrates how responsible reuse can be integrated into artistic expression and festive traditions.
The idol took approximately 45 days to complete, with the art teachers and students working collaboratively to bring the concept to life.
Tridhara Sammilani creates Maa Durga with 13,000 recycled pens
A similar emphasis on reimagining conventional materials through creativity can be seen at Tridhara Sammilani, where artist Chandra Nath Saha, popularly known as Tilak, has created a 5.5-foot representation of Maa Durga using approximately 13,000 pens and 13,000 refills made from recycled plastic.
Bringing together an everyday writing instrument and one of Bengal’s most enduring cultural symbols, the installation transforms discarded or repurposed materials like pens, caps and refills into an expression of artistic ingenuity and devotion.
The initiative also has a circular-economy element: after the Puja, the installation will be dismantled, and its materials will be recycled into new pens, completing a journey from product to artwork and back to product.
Maharaja Manindra Chandra College takes Pujo joy to tribal communities
Moving beyond the environmental dimension of the festival, Maharaja Manindra Chandra College’s Journalism Department is set for the 16th edition of its Pujo Parikrama, with a focus on sharing festive happiness with nearly 250 underprivileged tribal children and women at Laxmi Murmu School in Jhanti Pahari, Bankura.
“The students have raised funds for the initiative by setting aside their daily pocket money and portions of their festival budgets,” said Biswajit Das, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication.
Despite their academic commitments, student artists Vivek and Neha have also handcrafted a terracotta idol of Goddess Durga, with support from their classmates.
As part of the initiative, the children at Laxmi Murmu School will receive books, notebooks and pencils to support their education. Besides, the women and children will be gifted new festive clothes and saris. The celebrations will also include a festive meal.
Rooted in the belief that the joy of a festival should be shared by all, the initiative seeks to make Puja a more inclusive occasion.