Kolkata

A Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata is turning thousands of kilograms of old newspapers to create an installation based on mythology, history and changing reading habits.

The Baguiati Rail Pukur United Club, which is celebrating the 73rd edition of its Durga Puja, has chosen ‘Collage’ as its theme for its pandal, conceptualised by artist Somnath Tamli.

Newspaper pages, photographs and textures have been used to create the pavilion, giving physical form to the idea of disparate elements coming together to create a larger narrative, club secretary Snehasish Debnath said.

The theme also draws from the traditional narrative of the creation of Goddess Durga, in which different deities contribute their divine energies and weapons to create her complete and powerful form.

The installation interprets these individual contributions as fragments that acquire greater significance when brought together, extending the idea of a collage to society and collective strength, he said.

The pandal also pays tribute to personalities who have made significant contributions to Bengal and India’s cultural, intellectual and social heritage, including Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Satyendra Nath Bose, Matangini Hazra, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda.

Newspapers form another important layer of the installation, with scenes depicting their bulk transportation and distribution on cycles recreating the newspaper culture of an earlier era.

The installation also reflects on the transition from print to digital media and the changing ways in which news and information are consumed and shared.

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The use of recycled newspapers, he said, was also intended as a tribute to a disappearing culture of reading and sharing news, recalling a time when newspapers were an integral part of everyday life.