Journalism of Courage
Expressing solidarity with farmers, in the wake of the incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, a Durga Puja in Kolkata this year has woven the incident into their pandal (marquee) theme. (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
The Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra Puja Committee, which is in its 21st year, highlights the plight of farmers and their struggle against three Central agrarian laws (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
Artist Anirban Das who conceptualised the pandal’s theme has also used other slogans such as “We are farmers, not terrorists”, “No farmer, no future”, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” Express Photo by Shashi Ghosh (Express Photo by Shashi Ghosh)
Inside the pandal, a painting of an SUV and two actual tyres adorn a wall along with a slogan that reads, “Motorgari oray dhulo, niche pore chashi gulo [The motorcar speeds up, sending up clouds of dust, and crushes farmers under its wheels].”(Express Photo by Shashi Ghosh)
Durga Puja is dedicated to Goddess Durga (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
The design showcases a tractor with two wings attached to it. The wings, organisers said, symbolise freedom from bondage and the wish of people that the farmers’ protest achieves its objectives soon (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
As per Hindu scriptures, the festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga against Mahishasur (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
The Puja committee’s secretary Pratik Chowdhury told The Indian Express, “With Durga Puja being one of the greatest carnivals on earth, we often take the opportunity to spread messages. It is nothing political. The Puja pandal theme usually follows current topics. So, we thought since there have been several farmers’ protests for ages, and this is the most talked-about topic, why not make it a theme of the Puja pandal and show solidarity with farmers? We have spent Rs 25-26 lakh to create this theme.” (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
The artist has also placed footwear of different types and sizes at the entrance, along with police barricades (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
This year Durga Puja continues till October 15, 2021 (Express photo by Shashi Ghosh)
