The biggest challenge that Martyna Maria Pekala, a 23-year old Dutch artist from Rotterdam, faced during the first two weeks of her stay in Calcutta was to learn how to use her fingers to mix alu posto with rice, and dal and figure where exactly to try shukto and dhokar dalna in a multi-item Bengali lunch course. A vegetarian by choice, Martyna’s tryst with Calcutta has since involved getting accustomed to the city’s population density, the noise and its frenzy that’s slowly building up to its zenith called the Durga Puja.

But getting a hang of the city and its people isn't why Martyna and her colleague Benjamin van Pompe landed in Calcutta in the first week of September for. That has come as an inextricable bonus to the duo’s mission on their maiden visit to the country ahead of the Pujas.

Both Martyna and Benjamin, students of the HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, are collaborating with a local installation artist Ayan Saha to add value to the Behala Nutan Dal puja pandal which is themed around the concept of Tushti or contentment, a state of unadulterated happiness. While the pandal is metaphorically modeled around phuchka that many consider a way of life than just one of Bengal’s most loved street food, the Dutch duo is all set to enrich the Puja theme with a video installation which promises to encapsulate some of the most endearing images of the city that struck the uninitiated western eyes. In the process, the duo have earned the distinction of becoming the first set of artists from the Netherlands collaborating with their Indian counterparts for developing Durga Puja art.

Durga image at Behala Nutan Dal The Telegraph pictures

Call it a direct fallout of the Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage tag to the Pujas if you may, but efforts to familiarize the Durga Puja artwork to the global audience has surely gone a step ahead this year with foreigners no longer remaining restricted to the role of participants in Puja revelry but playing active contributors to the whopping Rs 70,000 crore industry the autumn carnival has now metamorphosed into.

“Initially, it was a culture shock,” Martyna admitted. “Public and private life here is so different from where I come from. The population and noise on the streets is overwhelming.”

“But then I realized people here are so warm and friendly. I feel so welcome here. Strangers on the streets are genuinely curious about us and the work we are doing. Back home such behaviour from people is unthinkable. There people do not usually talk to strangers,” she reflected. Martyna confessed getting quickly hooked to Bengali home-cooked food, courtesy the landlady of the apartment where the duo has been temporarily put up by the Puja organizers.

Installation art at Behala Nutan Dal The Telegraph pictures

“I am living the best time of my life,” Benjamin, chipped in. “Every day here is an adventure. There are so many new things to see and learn. There’s so much life on the streets. They are truly inspiring and surprising me at every moment. I am so happy and I am already dreading the thought of going back to the Netherlands. Two months is not enough to know the city and understand its people,” the 26-year-old from The Hague declared. The duo is scheduled to board their return flight on November 10.

“Calcutta is host to overarching symbolisms ranging from its colonial architectures to the images of public life here. It offers so much visual inspiration and that would get reflected in our work,” said Benjamin explaining the digital collage the artists are working on. “Our collage would include the autos, hand-pulled rickshaws, yellow taxis, animals on streets, the street food and the vibrant cultural life this city has,” Martyna, was quick to add.

Said Ayan Saha, installation artist collaborating with the Dutch duo: “We were in touch from much ahead of their arrival in Calcutta. I spent hours explaining to them the grandeur of the Pujas and things integral to our art and culture which get reflected in our pandal and image installations. I thought it would be difficult for a westerner to understand the quintessential Puja elements like Kaash phool, Shiuli (jasmine) and Mahishasuramardini. But to my utter surprise, they got the drift pretty quick.”

massArt puja preview at Town Hall, Calcutta The Telegraph pictures

Saha’s sentiments found resonance in Sandipan Banerjee, convenor of Behala Nutan Dal. “This is the first time that we involved foreign artists for our Durga Puja art installation and I must admit that I was a tad apprehensive at first,” Banerjee said. “I was worried that they may have a stiff upper lip and wouldn’t be able to adjust to the people here, the pollution and the climate. But they have not only adjusted remarkably well, I believe they are enjoying every bit of their stay and work. They are working till late at night and savoring delicacies that Calcutta has to offer on a platter,” he laughed.

A city-based social and cultural organization which aims to promote Durga Puja art before the global audience, massArt, acted as a bridge between the Dutch artists and the Nutan Dal puja organizers. In association with the British Council and the Unesco, massArt, hosted the second edition of a six-day preview of Puja art at the city Town Hall till October 15, the first day of the auspicious Devi Paksh or the Bengali calendar fortnight during which the Goddess is worshipped. The exhibition offered a sneak peek into art installations chosen from a short-listed 24 pujas of the city which includes the Behala Nutan Dal.

“This is part of a larger plan to globalize Durga Puja art and decentralize the festival. We want to ensure that it receives more exposure and is marketed well. We plan to get that done by forging global collaborations and recognition of this public art festival,” explained Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, secretary, massArt.

Ambassadors of Fiji, Nepal, Cyprus & Mongolia appreciate installations at puja preview at the Town Hall, Calcutta The Telegraph pictures

While trade insiders estimate at least 17,000 foreigners taking part in the festivities this year, the state government has reportedly told the industry to be ready to host some 5 lakh visitors between Mahalaya and Diwali. "This time, tourism stakeholders have a targeted reach of inbound tourists. We recently interacted with 900 operators at the national convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators. The tourism department has arranged 65 puja packages for tourists," announced Nandini Chakraborty, tourism Secretary. That's keeping in mind that the festivities would also coincide with the ICC Cricket World Cup whose matches at the Eden Gardens stadium would add to tourist footfall to the city.