A wall comes down every year on a Wakf property to accommodate the exit route of a pandal, the theme of which encompasses a mosque next door. A puja that embodies the true spirit of communal harmony turned 60 this year.

In its diamond jubilee year, a line from Jibanananda Das informed the Bhowanipur 75 Palli pandal in south Calcutta. The quote from the poem Suchetana — Kolkata ekdin kallolini tilottama hobe; tobuo tomar kachhe amar hridoy — was embodied in slices of objects and sounds, both traditional and modern, that are quintessentially Calcutta. So a tramcar, which incidentally had taken the poet’s life in a tragic turn, stands parked at right angles to a Metro viaduct. An actual mess house, that belonged to former mayor Gobindo Chandra Dey, has been juxtaposed with the facade of a new-age mall. A vintage vapour lamp stands neck and neck with a trident light post.

“The city that Jibanananda dreamt of stands in a transformed avatar. The tram, on its last gasp after the government’s decision to terminate tramways as public transport, is rusted and so is the letter box with letter-writing going out of practice. The city’s face is changing with flyovers and highrises, so that has been represented as well,” said Shib Shankar Das, the theme-maker.

The puja is as inclusive as the City of Joy is famed to be. Just as the mosque continued to function through the festivity, a group of Afghans who reside in the building actively participated. “They sit with us in our club room and we go out together to collect subscriptions,” said club secretary Subir Das. Residents of the colony behind the pandal had to make their way in and out through the pandal itself but did not object.

A tribute to Jibanananda Das, whose poetry has inspired the theme

In a site-specific touch, a signage indicated the actual steps of the club room to be leading to Netaji Bhavan Metro station. The alley, Debendra Ghosh Road, is located right next to the station. “I added the name Rupasi Bangla on the board to connect the station name to Jibanananda,” said Shib Shankar.

The image, crafted by celebrated idol-maker Sanatan Dinda, was immersed on October 14.

The tin and asbestos fittings are being brought down, after which the boundary wall will be rebuilt.

Sanatan Dinda's idol at Bhowanipur 75 Palli

“This is the last jubilee of the puja that our generation will get to celebrate. So we went all out and planned for two years with a target of Rs70 lakh as budget. We will start passing on the baton gradually so that the next batch is ready to celebrate the platinum jubilee in 15 years,” said Subir, who has been involved with the puja for three decades, of which he has been the secretary for 20 years.