Genius of Pujo's Installation Art

Like every year, Durga is back, en famille, to her (Greatest?) Kailash residence with her housebound husband Shiv. But for five days, and the months leading up to them, Bengal's creative economy erupted in spectacle - and in the more elusive parameter of scale. Kolkata and beyond was converted into a gargantuan, immersive pop-up gallery that showcased the utterly contemporary alongside the tradition, imagination meshed with craft, global power-drilled to the local. By some estimates, the festival this year has had a ₹1 lakh cr impact on the state economy, up from about ₹84,000 cr in 2023. Any other country would have deemed many of these sites as installation art, and Durga Pujo on a par with annual 'global' events like Cannes or the Oscars.

And, yet, despite this 5-day genius for innovation, enterprise and religion-laced entertainment on display, Durga Pujo remains an economic anomaly, a shimmering flash in the pan. The spillover in media, arts and design is underwhelming. Why? First, not enough creative stimulus for the non-Pujo creative economy in the state - and, indeed, the country - is being generated. Second, whatever is generated tends to lose momentum quickly.

The festival's impermanence, paradoxically one of its USPs, is a causal factor. IP created around every iteration of Durga Pujo has a shelf life of a few days. Adaptation to tech is another constraint. Components of the creative economy have a strong reliance on media, whose nature is evolving rapidly. There is a talent gap to move the Pujo experience into, say, VR. But design elements of some elaborate structures are showing sophistication that can be loaded on to larger franchises.


Space for innovation is increasing, as seen, for example, in a standout Pujo installation based on the artwork of contemporary master artist-curator Ganesh Haloi (pic). There are many more that need market and critical support. Bengal's creative economy is reimagining Durga Pujo. What's needed now is market interest and capital that spills this energy over into the remaining 360 days.