PNN
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 17: One bamboo pole for ceremonial worship went into the ground at the Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty premises on Friday evening -- and with it, north Kolkata began counting down to Durga Puja. The Khuti Puja, the ritual that plants the pandal's first pole and, by tradition, opens the year's work, marked the start of the committee's 84th year, held on the eve of the country's 80th Independence Day.
The ceremony at the pandal premises was hosted by Sundeep Bhutoria, Chairman of the Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee, and drew actor Rituparna Sengupta, percussionist Bickram Ghosh, author and brand strategist Suhel Seth, and Jorasanko MLA Vijay Ojha. They were joined by Shishir Bajoria, President of the puja's Inauguration Committee 2026, and committee office-bearers Ashok Jaiswal (President), Rajesh Bihani (Vice Chairman) and Rajesh Jaiswal (Secretary).
"Durga Puja is Bengal's greatest act of collective imagination. The Khuti Puja is where our year truly begins," said Sundeep Bhutoria. "For 84 years this puja has belonged to the neighbourhood as much as to the Committee, and it is that shared ownership we carry into the months of preparation ahead."
For Rituparna Sengupta, a regular at the pandal across seasons, the appeal is as much habit as occasion. "Khuti Puja has been organised wonderfully, as always. Sundeep Bhutoria organises it every year, and I love coming to Chaltabagan for various occasions, whether it is the Durga Puja inauguration or Sindoor Khela," she said. "I have a special affection for this pandal. Durga Puja is the festival closest to every Bengali's heart. I hope that, like every year, we celebrate it together, putting aside all our differences -- spreading love and celebrating the spirit of togetherness."
Shishir Bajoria said this year's celebration would place ritual on an equal footing with festivity. "Perhaps, for the first time, Durga Puja will be celebrated not merely as a festivity, but with a greater emphasis on Sanatani rituals and traditions," he said. "I hope the rituals and festivities will beautifully coexist, preserving both the spiritual essence and the celebratory spirit of the festival."
Jorasanko MLA Vijay Ojha framed the season against the state's wider mood. "This year marks a new beginning and a departure from the political culture that has been cultivated in the state over the past 50 years," he said.
The evening also carried the first hint of what visitors will walk into this October. Artist Aditi Chakraborty, who has conceptualised this year's theme, offered a single word -- and deliberately left room around it.
"If I were to sum up this year's theme in one word, it would be 'Nishan' -- a symbol that can carry multiple meanings," she said. "My work will explore one of those interpretations, with my focus continuing to remain on people from marginalised communities, while keeping the essence of the theme relevant to the present times."
About Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja
Now in its 84th year, the Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja is among north Kolkata's best-known community pujas, drawing lakhs of visitors each autumn for its themed pandals and its long association with artists, performers and public figures. The puja is organised by the Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee. Founded in 1943 as a modest celebration in a small shop, the Chaltabagan Durga Puja has grown into one of Kolkata's most celebrated community pujas, situated near the residence of the great social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Chaltabagan has many firsts to its credit: the first puja in Kolkata to elevate the Khuti Puja, Dhak Utsav and Sindur Khela into signature city events -- graced over the years by successive Hon'ble Governors, foreign Consuls General and eminent citizens -- the first to be lit by solar power, among the first to build our mandap from recycled, eco-friendly materials. The puja committee remains equally devoted to social welfare through blood donation camps, wheelchair assistance for the elderly and differently-abled, and puja parikramas for senior citizens.
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