Culture

The evolution of pandal art: From traditional craft to architectural spectacle

Durga Puja, Pandal Art: An excerpt from Tapati Guha Thakurta’s essay “Abodes of the Goddess” has been translated in this article. The essay was originally published in Perspecta, the journal of the Yale School of Architecture. The complete essay can be found in: Tapati Guha-Thakurta, “Abodes of the Goddess,” Perspecta 52 (October 2019): 195–207.

Tapati Guha Thakurta
15 min read
The evolution of pandal art: From traditional craft to architectural spectacle

The city of Kolkata turns into a frenetic site of fabrications and simulations as the season of the autumn festival approaches. Elaborate bamboo armatures begin to emerge in every corner of the city—in open parks, empty plots and within narrow alleys or slightly broader roads where they often, unapologetically, block the passage of people and vehicles. Stacks of bamboo poles—stored in neighbourhood corners throughout the year—are supplemented with fresh stock and brought back into circulation. E...

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Tapati Guha Thakurta
Tapati Guha Thakurta
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How do you explain to a child that a festival they love can suddenly become dangerous?” A mother's first-person account of the Chorbagan Durga Puja tragedy

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