Durga Puja pandal: To retell lockdown tale, ‘migrant mother’ idol to go to museum
The idol of the deity as a migrant mother, with a toddler (Kartik) in her arms, made headlines. Trailing the deity were her two daughters — one with a baby owl in the crook of her arm (Lakshmi), and the other caressing a swan (Saraswati).
A migrant worker mother replaced the traditional Durga idol at a puja pandal in Kolkata. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh) The West Bengal government has decided to preserve the Durga idol of Kolkata’s Barisha Club that was sculpted in the image of a migrant woman as a tribute to migrant workers.
The idol of the deity as a migrant mother, with a toddler (Kartik) in her arms, made headlines. Trailing the deity were her two daughters — one with a baby owl in the crook of her arm (Lakshmi), and the other caressing a swan (Saraswati). The fourth child, the pot-bellied Ganesha with the head of an elephant, gave them company.
The club drew widespread praise for highlighting the travails faced by migrants during the Covid-19-triggerred lockdown. To keep those memories alive, the government decided to install it at a public place. For the moment, it will be kept in a museum.
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