A pandal that impressed one child left others with questions. Theme understandable? Idols and decor in sync? Arrangements satisfactory?
On Panchami, student-judges of TTIS Choto Chokhe Boro Pujo (CCBP), co-powered by JIS Group and admissiontree.in, often differed on which pujas deserved the highest marks. Their discussions continued between pandal visits, turning judging into an exercise in patient scrutiny and defending their preferences.
The soundproof pandal at Chorbagan Sarbojanin, offered a contrast to the bustle outside. The children noticed its multiple entrances and discussed how they could help manage the crowds. For Debrup Das of Central Modern School, Baranagar, however, the essentials of a puja went beyond the theme or the materials used. “If I enter a pandal, I should find the divinity. Recycling is important, but so are the idol and the ambience.”
The Class XI student also found the concept at Chorbagan Sarbojanin interesting but felt it did not stand out on several of the judging criteria. “Lighting, overall decoration and the effort behind an installation mattered, but so did evaluating each idea without bias,” he said.
The Kashi Bose Lane and Chaltabagan Lohapatty pujas led the children to compare how each pandal approached its theme and which presentation visitors would find easier to understand.
The children went beyond the spectacle, too. Questions about the artwork at Kashi Bose Lane led to a discussion about the artists’ research and their trip to Maharashtra to learn Warli art. Six artists attended a two-week workshop before working on the installation for 50 days. Straw, bamboo, jute and plywood featured in the work, along with paintings made using lead-free colours.
Manashij Sengupta, a Class XII student of Hariyana Vidya Mandir, had wanted to visit Kashi Bose Lane even before judging began. The detail and the historical references struck him. The children asked about the chandi path, the background music and the emergency exits. They wanted to see how the pandal looked at night.
“The pandal paid so much attention to detail and depicted so much history. We need to stay connected to our roots, and this pandal reflected that,” said Talin Moitra of Class VII from Indus Valley World School about Kashi Bose Lane.
For Riddhima Adhikari of Class XI at Birla Bharati, traditional art and sustainability were important. She was drawn to a presentation that used traditional artwork, including watercolour, to depict a woman resisting British rule.
But the children were not looking only at the larger installations.
At Beleghata 33 Pally, intricate details and a black-and-white charcoal painting caught their attention. The fine art offered another way to judge a pandal, beyond the size of the installation or the spectacle it created.
Pranjali Majumdar, a Class IX student of Shri Shikshayatan School, said the more important details were often practical. She looked for fire arrangements and
wheelchair facilities at Tala Barowari.
A theme centred on dancer Uday Shankar and his contribution to dance at Jagat Mukherjee Park drew her attention to the message more than the decoration. She had not noticed recycled materials at the pandals on her route and felt organisers could do more to incorporate them.
The children considered a different kind of responsibility at Sadanga Durgotsav Samity. Drawing on Hutom Pencha, the wise owl of Bengali folklore, and the Mahabharata episode of Draupadi’s disrobing, the installation questioned the silence surrounding wrongdoing. Three owls represented the refusal to see, hear or speak. Debrup interpreted the pale depiction of Durga as expressing disgust at society’s indifference to child labour and trafficking of women.
Srijika Ghosh of Class IX at Vivekananda Mission School, Joka, looked for distinctive themes, creativity and a thought-provoking message. “I had expected judging to be tiring but I found it enjoyable,” she said.
Discussions between judges also widened horizons. Pratiti Bhattacharyya of Class IX, changed her mind about her assessment after visiting Chorbagan Sarbojanin. “I found that a student from another school explained the concept from a perspective I had not considered,” said Pratiti. The exchange helped her understand the installation better.
The conversations did not end with the visits. In the cars, the children compared scores and defended their favourites. They had visited the same pandals, but each had noticed something different — and the differences made for lively debates.