🇬🇧 The North Pandal: Conclusion
- melissamalir
- Oct 10, 2022
- 4 min read
Apologies for the long absence, the puja kept me very busy, but now back in Delhi, I can finally write about everything I saw, starting with the North Calcutta Pandal.
Above is I think my favourite picture of the pandal. We get an proper idea of the layout of the pandal as well as a view of each individual section; the sitting room, the study, the bedroom and the porch and of course the idol at the back. The photo, like the real thing, takes a moment to process thanks to the odd angles and perspectives as well as obviously the fact that half of it is upside down. We see also how different sections echo each other, particularly the checkered floor/ceiling which adds to the confusion of it all.
There are also finished elements and details like the things in the bookshelf (rolled up magazines, toys, a cricket bat, which are all now purely dercorative: the only thing that seems to be in use is the oversized laptop on the desk), the upside down tea set on the living room table (again, I haven’t the slightest clue as to how they managed to secure it all so well) and the cushions painted with app logos. There is even a mini reproduction of Van Gogh‘s Bedroom in Arles hanging on the bedroom wall. The lighting was also incredibly well done; each screen (the laptop, the phones in the couple’s hands) were individually illuminated, and the telephones hanging from the open door on the ceiling that i mentioned in the very first post on this pandal ring and blink intermittently.
As for the long awaited idol, the traditional violence of the scene has been replaced by quiet domesticity with the whole cast of characters seated dotted around the dinner table. Durga’s ten arms are not attached to her but rather arranged on the table behind her, her weapons miniaturised. Instead of piercing the demons chest with her trident, she holds a baby Ganesh. The demon himself is also seated at the table, looking at the phone in his hand. As for Durga’s lion and the buffalo (a form taken by the demon) they are lying at Durga’s feet like household pets. The colours of sculpture match the blue and yellow of the starry night behind them, and the checkered floor mirrors the rest of the pandal.
Finally, here’s a view of the finished exterior.
Almost the entirety of the outside of the pandal as well as sections of the floor were painted in the same style as the panels mentioned in my last post, with all the app logos. You can also see a tree on the right which has been covered in a metal structure made to resemble a telephone tower (its interesting to see how each element of the surroundings has been used and appropriated to fit the theme of the pandal).
Lastly, the orange blobs going up the stairs
of the pandal are in fact terracotta ants making their way towards the illuminated “ON“. These ants were meant to represent our constant desperation to be online.
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I was invited to a ceremony on the morning of Monday 3rd known as Kumari Puja. This ceremony consists of worshipping young girls, traditionally aged between 5 and 8, who dress as Durga, meant to represent her different forms. The five girls at my pandal were all local to the neighbourhood, and due to a last minute no-show, a girl only two and a half years old was brought to fill the role. It has to be said that she was not too thrilled to join the ranks of the others, but her crying could be stopped be her father crouching beside her, offering her the occasional crisp or sip of water. It was also discovered that my mother’s camera could instantly stop her tears, replaced by a smile and a pose, whenever it was pointed at her. She had no time for anyone else’s mobile phones, only the fancy camera held such a power.Gifts of sweets, chocolate, pink hair clips and other delights were laid at the feet of the girls (the placing of these offerings in front of her also seemed to hold the power of ceasing the two year old‘s tears). At the end of the ceremony, people went to each individual girl and touched their feet, to in return be blessed by them with a gentle bonk on the head with a lotus flower. It was a really lovely ritual, and I am so grateful to have been invited.
This is the last time I will be writing about the North Calcutta Pandal, so I wanted to thank everyone who made it possible for me to work on it, it’s truly been a wonderful experience and I will forever be grateful to everyone who made it happen.
I still have a few more posts lined up about the Durga Puja in general though so stay tuned for those :)
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P.S. I was in the news! I forgot to post about it at the time but here’s the link to the article:
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