The biggest festival of Kolkata is arriving in less than 20 days. The city is slowly decking out to welcome Goddess Durga. Pandals are coming up in the corners of the streets, people are flocking to markets and malls for Pujo shopping and at Kumartuli, the goddess is taking form. The pre-Puja excitement has hit and even social media is getting in on the act. For this edition of the Reels of the Week, My Kolkata picks some reels that aptly evokes that pujo pujo feeling and makes the waiting all the more exciting!
White fields are here!
The bloom of kashphool heralds Durga Puja. Various fields in rural areas and outskirts of the city are now lined with this autumnal wonder. The kashphool-lined white fields sway in the soft sunlight and gentle breeze. @subhajit.patra.1000 brings to us a visually appealing reel paired from a kashphool field with the iconic song Bajlo tomar alor benu setting the prelude to Durga Puja just right.
Where the Goddess takes form
The experience of Durga Puja is incomplete for many without a quick visit to Kumartuli. The pre-puja excitement can be felt at Kumartuli months before the festival as the goddess slowly takes form in the hands of the artists. Photographers, both amateur and professional, take countless trips to the place to capture different stages of idol-making. @behaya_ brings to us a fascinating reel from the potters’ den.
Kolkata during Durga Puja
The City of Joy turns into a big carnival during Durga Puja and you cannot fail to be a part of it. Almost every street is lit up and beautifully decorated pandals welcoming you to a fascinating work of creativity and imagination. This reel by @roll.camera.amour captures the beauty and grandeur of the festival in the city that we are eagerly waiting to be a part of.
Bonedi Bari Durga Puja
In the era of theme pujos, the Durga Puja celebrations of bonedi families feel warm with the old-school charm. The modest yet elegant setup in an age-old house stands out in the shimmering crowd of theme pandals. In a series of reels, the @insane_traveller covers some bonedi houses where Durga Puja preparations take place at its own pace. The reel gives us a glimpse of the beautiful Badan Chandra Ray Bari located in the Tiretti area. Often, the idols are made in the premises of these bonedi baris, and here too, we see that.
Nightlife during Durga Puja
It is a 24-hour celebration for five days in the city. The nightlife during Durga Puja is quite happening as people head out for pandal-hopping and partying with much energy and excitement. The pandals welcome lakhs of visitors every night of the puja. People walk the streets and roam around from pandal to pandal. But the calmness of the lit-up narrow alleys of the city is a different feeling in the night and vlogger @jayantasrkr captures that beauty in his latest reel.