On the afternoon of Kali Puja, hundreds of photographers, influencers, bloggers and vloggers had converged at Bholanath Dham on Beadon Street in north Kolkata to witness the centenary of the phanush festival.
Phanush or fanush are paper-made balloons that operate on the same principle as a hot-air balloon. The air inside the phanush is heated with a cloth rag ball (locally called luti or nuti). The luti soaked in spirit is attached to the base of the phanush.
Up she goes! A phanush being released from the terrace of Bholanath Dham in 2010
“We were initially residents of Sovabazar. My grandfather Raghunath Dutt bought the present house in 1925 and named it after his father, Bholanath Dutt. Probably, the phanush flying ritual in our family started at our Sovabazar home but on a smaller scale. This big house with a large courtyard offered ample space for making and flying phanush. So, from the 1925 Kali Puja, phanush flying took a festive turn at Bholanath Dham,” said Ajoy Dutt, a master phanush maker and member of the Bholanath Dutt family.
A compilation ‘phanush’-flying above Bholanath Dham
Sadly, there is hardly any written record about the history of phanush. According to some oral records, phanush flying was introduced in Kolkata in the 1910s by the Deys of Darjipara in north Kolkata. It was the initiative of Gouri Shankar Dey, a mathematics professor of Scottish Church College.
Over the years, the art of phanush-making evolved with artisans perfecting their skills in creating various shapes and frames. Apart from conventional balloon shape, phanush were made in the shape of pitchers, stars, footballs, ducks, kettles and even the planet Saturn, complete with its rings.
‘Phanush’-es being launched from the courtyard of Bholanath Dham with the ever increasing crowd
“After 1925, the art of phanush-making was picked up by his three sons, Manick Lal, Narayan Lal and Jadav Lal, out of which the last one happens to be my father. I picked up the art from my father and uncles and made my phanush at the age of 10,” Dutt said.
Now in his early-70s, Dutt still continues with his passion and wants to celebrate the centenary by flying 25 phanush-es on the afternoon of Kali Puja. “Normally, my phanush-making started with the end of Durga Puja but this year being special, I am taking a headstart and have utilised the whole year in making phanush. Lack of helping hands have made my job difficult,” he said.
Photographing the phanush: Cameras to drones and from mobiles to tabs
The new generation is not keen on learning the art of phanush making and flying but a few young people have started using computer software such as AutoCAD to design phanush. This information is shared over social media making it available to the masses.
The Dutt family possesses some old leather phanush-making templates, locally called chat. “These have become fragile and are no longer in usable condition. I have made paper copies of the templates and are available free to anyone interested in making phanush,” Dutt said.
Phanush-making and preparations
Not all phanushs require templates. “The football phanush is made using simple geometry. In 1970, the football World Cup was held in Mexico and, for the first time, a new type of ball was used. The ball consisted of 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons. Someone in our locality got hold of one such football. My father, Jadav Lal Dutt, saw it and made the football phanush. Since then, the football has been an integral part of the Bholanath Dham phanush festival and now my son Arindam takes the initiative of making the football phanush,” Dutt said.
A ‘phanush’ representing the face of goddess Kali displayed next to the idol of Kali
Another regular feature of the Bholanath Dham phanush is the clock phanush. The hands of the clock are added just before the launch, indicating its exact time.
In recent times, the Dutts have been joined with a group of artists, who help to turn the paper-made balloons into work of art. Some phanush sport a series of paintings, while in some others, the entire phanush is used as a canvas for artwork. The paintings are usually based on certain themes.
The first ‘phanush’ of the 100th Phanush Festival at Bholanath Dham 2024
In recent years, Bholanath Dham has seen a huge turnout on the afternoon of Kaili Puja. “Ever since the advent of social media, the crowd has swelled. Sometimes, these people come close to disrupting the lunch of the phanush. Since the phanush involves fire, some precautions are absolutely necessary. Photographers need to maintain a safe distance but nobody actually listens. This makes our job difficult.”
View from below: At the 100th Phanush Festival at Bholanath Dham 2024
The 100th year of the phanush festival was marked with the release of 25 phanush, which included several theme-based ones. The themes included cartoon figures, Satyajit Ray film posters, Abol Tabol and Sahaj Path. The new addition of the theme was a Halloween phanush. The cubical phanush came in a bright shade of orange complete with pictures of flying bats, which created a spooky feeling. The usual clock, football and top (lattu) were also part of the show. The star attraction of the show was literally a star. The giant bi-coloured (white and red) five-pointed star dominated the skyline above Bholanath Dham.
People crowd around the football ‘phanush’ at the centenary event on Thursday
