Durga Puja in Calcutta, a photo from West Bengal, East

Photographer's Note

Another photograph of Durga Puja from Kolkata (Calcutta).

Durga Puja is the festival which epitomises the triumph of good over evil. Elaborate structures (called ‘pandals’) are made to house the clay images & Durga Puja offers an avenue for various artists (even Art Students) to bring out their creative juices in designing and making the images and the ‘pandals’.

This particular ‘pandal’ had been structured in lines of the traditional houses of rural Bengal, more so those of the district of Purulia in south-western part Bengal. The masks adoring the ‘pandals’ are of typical Purulia style, and depict Hindu goddesses. The roof is made of baked clay tiles typical of rural Bengal.

Since it was afternoon, there were not many visitors, except the young brother & sister the brother was ‘explaining’ the details of the masks and dolls to his sister. Through the doorway, the image of Durga is visible.

A pity that the ‘pandals’ & images have a very short life. The images are immersed after 4 days of the festival and the pandal is taken down to pieces, may be to be assembled in some form a year later

ChrisJ, feather, lebjohnson, pranab, RADEEH, anew, atus, pierrefonds, sergio1, pablominto has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ChrisJ (141695) 2006-03-04 3:51

Namaste Angshuman

A superb daily life scene, with excellent color, sharpness & pov. I like the 3 kala? heads, & the woman pointing. Good work!

pastadog (13111) 2006-03-04 4:08

Hi Angshu, congratulations for this superb shot! Symmetric, colorful. Many art details to appreciate. Nice symmetric patches of sky with vegetation. I like the kids in the frame, they really make a difference. And an interesting note. Excellent! Regards, Daniel

feather (51130) 2006-03-04 13:48

The artwork is stunning; this festival must be a wonderful sight. Well composed symmetric shot, with the addition of the people to add interest
Kath

lebjohnson (609) 2006-03-04 19:25

This is a beautifully colored scene. The details on the 'pandal' are amazing. I particularily like the couple who add humanity and a focal point that would be lacking without them.
Regards,
Lois

pranab (5354) 2006-03-04 21:05

angshu,
you know it's been 14 years since i have been to calcutta during durgapuja. i miss it a lot.
good vibrant color and you are luckey to see a pandal without the crowd. good details and great use of light.
well done my friend.

RADEEH (2802) 2006-03-04 23:18

The details are eyecatching.
The bright colours are mind blowing.
The sun is a little harsh there.
And could have included the entire roof.
But any way a great shot of a puja pandal TFS

anew (582) 2006-03-06 12:08

This is a wonderful composition. Instead of the usual gigantic presentations you see, this is more homely and intimate. I love the colors too.

atus (15856) 2006-03-07 9:11

Hi Angshu,
a very nicely composed interesting shot here with beautiful colors and a very well captured moment with the young boy showing a detail of the mask to his sister.Thank You for sharing this and for the very interesting note,too.
Attila

pierrefonds (84933) 2006-03-08 9:56

Hi Angshu,

This building is quite colorfull. Is it a temple ?

Your photo has a good composition and colors.

Pierre

sergio1 (12152) 2006-04-26 6:08

Hi Friend
Very nice shot and compo to the temple. The sharpness is good and contrast too.
Good work
Sergio

pablominto (53746) 2006-05-31 2:26

Hi Angshu,
Amazing colours! Interesting tradition, and as always you tell the story well...
I like the composition, and the action of the two girls... Good exposure considering the harsh sun light!
Is it possibly a slight CCW tilt or is it simply your POV?
Greetings,
Pablo -

ryno (6861) 2006-08-29 15:33

Great shot, Angshu. This is what I like about India - so much colour and so many unique events. A photographer's dream. This shot was well-composed and taken with great sharpness and clarity. Very interesting! Regards,
Ryno

noborders (1010) 2007-05-25 12:36

Still exploring your various pandals, and I have not finished !... This one is a grand affair, I wonder how this place looks like the rest of the year : is it in Kolkata proper, it seems in the countryside. Your note is very useful, but I still have other questions... Probably too late to ask, but still curious !

Thank you for the documentary aspect of this series, which certainly means a lot to you !
TFS,
Cath.