Though Uttam Kumar’s centenary was the overwhelming favourite for milestone celebrations at Puja pandals, this year’s festivities also paid tribute to two other cultural icons — dancer Uday Shankar and novelist Saratchandra Chattopadhyay.
In north Calcutta’s Sovabazar, the pioneer of modern Indian dance towered over the Jagat Mukherjee Park pandal in a still from his 1948 dance film Kalpana, alongside his wife, Amala Shankar.
Closer to the idol, his words, “When I dance I am nearer to God”, were inscribed in relief beside another cutout of him in a dance pose. Black-and-white photographs lined the pandal walls, designed by theme-maker Avijit Ghatak.
The pandal also featured a recreation of a fresco from the Ajanta caves, whose stylised postures heavily influenced Shankar’s dance aesthetic. Three screens played clips from Kalpana and related footage.
“Uday Shankar is the father of modern Indian dance. The government has brought out a commemorative stamp in his honour, and a road has been named after him.
Yet he is not so well-known today. When we mentioned our theme to the sponsors, they had no clue who he was. It is our duty to acquaint the next generation with him
and his contribution,” said puja committee member Sourav Dey.
The organisers had invited Mamata Shankar to inaugurate the puja on Chaturthi to mark her father’s 125th birth anniversary.
“She was so happy that she came back on Navami to check how much the theme was connecting with visitors,” Dey added.
In south Calcutta, Suchitra Sen, who plays Bijoya in Datta, adorned the entrance gate, while Uttam Kumar as Sabyasachi featured near the exit. This was no cinema hall but a pandal dedicated to the celebrated novelist, born in 1876, whose works inspired both films.
“Our theme is Saratkaley Sarat-katha. Saratchandra wrote extensively, and we have focused mainly on works that were adapted into films,” said Subhajit Sarkhel, secretary of Purbachal Shakti Sangha, off the Anwar Shah Road-Bypass connector.
Book covers of Saratchandra’s works in several languages featured prominently.
“His novels were read across the country. Devdas alone was translated into eight languages. This is why he was hailed as Kathashilpi (word artist),” Sarkhel said, pointing to covers in Telugu, Odia and English, among others.
The Saratchandra Chattopadhyay theme pandal at Purbachal Shakti Sangha
The pandal also displayed copies of the novelist’s handwritten letters, bearing his Calcutta address at 24 Ashwini Dutta Road, close to the Tridhara Sammilani pandal.
Theme-maker Tapas Dutta incorporated the surrounding buildings into his Saratchandra-inspired setting. A three-storey building next door featured actors portraying Devdas across three generations, painted floor by floor.
Another house was painted blue to resemble the cover of Narir Mulyo, a 1923 essay on the place of women in society. Even the drainpipes running down the exterior wall were incorporated into the design.
The area around the goddess was decorated with antique furniture and musical instruments, rented from a prop house. “We wanted to recreate the milieu of Bengal 100 years ago,” Sarkhel said.
The organisers felt the theme had struck a chord across generations.
“We had an octogenarian couple spending so much time here on Dashami morning, sharing stories connected to these novels from their youth. Youngsters are clicking selfies with portraits of Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas and Saif Ali Khan in Parineeta,” the secretary said.