Kolkata has always known how to turn a festival into theatre: streets become the set, pandals transform into elaborate installations, and every evening unfolds like a new scene. For film and theatre actor-director Ramanjit Kaur, that theatricality feels especially instinctive. This year, Kaur brought that togetherness to the camera too, shooting with her family and her students, whom she describes as family in their own right. From the first poem to the last pandal-hopping trail, her Puja unfolds like a performance she never tires of watching.
At the Creative Arts Academy, the curtain rises a little earlier, with Pujo Poetry Adda marking the beginning of Puja for her artistic family.
Somewhere between the sounds of Puja and the bustle of the season, I find space for something made of words, voices and original verse: Pujo Poetry Adda. It has grown into an annual coming together of poets and poetry in multiple languages, and it’s now in its 17th edition. Poets write original pieces especially for the occasion. Each edition is shaped around a theme, which keeps the format fresh while retaining its core, and brings different languages, voices and perspectives into one festive space. It has made poetry a distinct part of the season’s cultural rhythm. I’m keeping this year’s themeunder wraps to add an element of surprise for all attendees. It isn’t only about welcoming the goddess home. It’s also a moment to reflect on the strength of women in everyday life. I think the way we celebrate at the Creative Arts Academy, Durga Maa’s homecoming, also re-establishes for us the idea of women empowerment that we work for throughout the year. That makes the festival feel deeply personal and purposeful to me. The artistry: the craftsmanship, details and imagination that emerge across the city during the festive season. The whole family is very excited about the craft of it, the kind of craftsmanship that comes out. It’s quite incredible and our family celebrates that a lot. The food calls for a more indulgent approach. The things that I am very fond of are luchi, aloo dum, sandesh. So, that’s what I would go in for. But I’m also a non-vegetarian, so I’m open to that.