The Other Durga Dynamic

• 43,000 registered puja committees across West Bengal. These are run by clubs, housing societies, neighbourhood communities. Over and above this, there are pujas organised by families too
• 2,794 registered puja committees in Calcutta alone
• 1 committee equals 1 puja; the standalone term “puja” is used here to refer to a single organised celebration

ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

Big puja

• Budget above ₹1 crore
• 9-10 in Calcutta

Fair-sized puja

• Budget above ₹60 lakh
• 25-30 in Calcutta

Medium-sized puja

• Budget above ₹30 lakh
• 100-odd in Calcutta

Small puja

• Budget above ₹10 lakh
• 1,000 plus in Calcutta

Others

• Budget less than ₹10 lakh
• 1,500-1,600 of them within the city

WONDER OF A WEEKLONG FESTIVAL

• Accounts for 2.58 per cent of Bengal’s GDP
• ₹72,000 crore generated in puja revenues in 2023; 45 per cent of it was Calcutta’s contribution
• One medium-sized puja provides direct employment to 100-150 people and indirect employment to 400-500. These include idol makers, shola workers, jewellery makers, chalchitra artists, tress makers, dhakis, priests, security guards, decorators, cooks, electricians, food stall operators, porters, bamboo artisans, event managers
• 3,00,000 people employed in the unorganised sector in Calcutta alone for puja-related business
• ₹50,000 crore is the economic worth of creative industries around it. These include installation art and decoration, idol-making, illumination, literature and publishing, advertising and sponsorship, films and entertainment, crafts and design, fashion

BEYOND THE BIG CITY

• Idol makers come from Howrah, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, South Dinajpur, West Burdwan, Nadia
• Sholapith workers come from South 24-Parganas, Nadia, Burdwan, Bolpur, Coochbehar
• Jewellery makers from Howrah, Nadia
• Tress-makers of idols from South 24-Parganas and Howrah
• Chalchitra artists from Nadia, East Midnapore
• Dhakis come from South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, Burdwan, Birbhum, Purulia, Murshidabad, Nadia
• Sweetmakers from South 24-Parganas, Hooghly, Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda
• Porters from South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Murshidabad
• Musicians from the Sunderbans, Burdwan, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, Murshidabad, Malda, Jalpaiguri
• Illumination artisans from Chandernagore and Bansberia in Hooghly
• Caterers, cooks and helpers from South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore
• Flowers come from Howrah, Habra in North 24-Parganas, Burdwan, East Midnapore
• Vegetables and fruits from South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, Malda and Murshidabad

DID YOU KNOW?

• Restaurants earn over ₹10,000 per day on an average during puja week; there are 60,000 small and big eateries in Calcutta
• The retail sector as well as the aviation industry hire students in the run-up to puja
• ₹33,000 crore earned in retail activities
• 17,000 foreign tourists came to Calcutta during this time last year; 5,00,000 tourists came from the other parts of India
• 30-35 per cent of artisans are women; almost all the patachitra artistes and weavers are women
• 10,000 plus people start preparing for the festive season two months before Durga Puja
• The West Bengal Tourism department runs cruises on the Ganga every day of the Durga Puja
• Special AC Volvo buses ply on all five days of Durga Puja and special tram rides too are organised
• 288 metro rides (North-South) on Panchami and Sasthi each; a spike in night bus service by 30 per cent
• Earlier, records and cassettes were released especially during this time. Now, there is a stack of Bengali film releases

(Most figures are from 2023-24)

(Sources: Forum for Durgotsab, news reports, Confederation of West Bengal Trade Association, Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga Puja 2019, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India, Bengal Hawkers Association)