Kolkata roads get a splash of colour, traditional ‘alpona’ ahead of Durga Puja

BJP government’s beautification drive aims to give Kolkata a makeover ahead of Durga Puja; Minister Agnimitra Paul says designs symbolise brotherhood, love and public trust

Monotonous asphalt roads and busy flyovers in Kolkata are getting a colourful makeover with traditional ‘alpona’ motifs as part of a beautification drive ahead of Durga Puja. 

The Gariahat Bridge has turned into a rainbow of pink, orange, green, and yellow, while a large alpona design in contrasting red and white has appeared at the Park Circus seven-point crossing. 

The initiative is part of a beautification drive by the new Bharatiya Janata Party government to give the city a makeover ahead of the festival.

Inspecting the work at Gariahat Bridge, West Bengal Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul described the initiative as a symbol of brotherhood, love and public trust.

While making an alpona—the traditional art of drawing designs on floors and other surfaces using liquid rice flour—at the busy Park Circus crossing, Ms. Paul said, “At Park Circus, where anti-India slogans were raised, fires were set, and police personnel and vehicles were attacked, large alpona designs are now being drawn. My brothers from minority communities have joined Hindu artists in creating these motifs.”

She highlighted the participation of artists from minority communities alongside Hindu artists in creating the designs, particularly at Park Circus—a collaboration she described as a demonstration of communal harmony.

Ms. Paul said similar beautification work would also be done on Red Road, while the ghats along the Hooghly were being decorated ahead of the festival. She presented the collaboration as a gesture of inter-community trust and invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas”.

The BJP government is making an all-out effort to make its first Durga Puja in office a grand celebration. On October 10, during Mahalaya (the end of Pitru Paksha and the beginning of Devi Paksha), it also organised a mega event at the iconic Eden Gardens, featuring fireworks and drone shows.