No man’s land: Durga figure placed in truck between India, Bangladesh borders in Kolkata ‘pandal’
The organisers of the community Durga Puja at the city’s Barisha Club said they are sending out a social message.
A mother can be put into a detention camp but she will still be a Durga when it comes to protecting her children. #DurgaPuja pandal in #Kolkata showcases “NRC detention camp” theme. Unmissable political symbolism but the eyes of the idol will force u to take yours down. pic.twitter.com/vAMYR8xEe0
— Tamal Saha (@Tamal0401) October 9, 2021
Kolkata’s Barisha Club in Behala has chosen “Bhaager Maa” (Mother, Divided) as the theme of its 2021 Durga Puja pandal, according to The Better India.
The ‘pandal’ displays the figures of a woman surrounded by four children – much like the legend of the goddess Durga – holding the idol of the Durga in her lap. She appears to be sitting in a truck with her belongings scattered around her, and the vehicle is placed in no man’s land between the borders of India and Bangladesh. The creator of the figures is Debayan Pramanik.
“There is so much tension all around,” Rintu Das, the creator of the ‘pandal’ was quoted as saying. “Questions about whether maa will again have to be displaced are all very real. Will she be stuck between India and Bangladesh? Is her identity a question mark?”
