Durga Puja 2026: Kolkata Pandal Challenges Patriarchy Through Powerful Depiction | WATCH

Kendua Durga Puja pandal challenges patriarchy through its ‘Aishwaryi’ theme, using a powerful installation to highlight women’s oppression, social restrictions and the impact of age-old beliefs.

Kendua Durga Puja pandal highlights women’s oppression through its ‘Aishwaryi’ theme.

Source : ANI

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• Organizers aim to highlight women's vulnerability and societal threats.

Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations are known for their artistic pandals and elaborate themes. This year, the Kendua Shanti Sangha Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee has drawn attention with an installation that goes beyond festive decoration to highlight the oppression of women and the restrictions imposed on them by a patriarchal society. Marking its 53rd year, the committee has chosen ‘Aishwaryi’ as its theme. The installation uses striking visual imagery to question blind faith, age-old superstitions and traditions that often undermine women’s freedom, individuality and right to make decisions about their own lives.

A Woman Trapped In A Cage Highlights Social Oppression

The central installation presents a woman confined inside a cage, with her dishevelled hair wrapped around her body and transformed into a ladder. The imagery depicts people climbing the ladder in the hope of receiving divine blessings, highlighting how women can become victims of exploitation carried out in the name of religion, faith and tradition. The woman represents countless others whose identities, emotions and aspirations are suppressed by societal expectations. The installation draws attention to how women are often denied the freedom to love, dream, build relationships and determine the course of their own lives. Through this unsettling depiction, the pandal encourages visitors to look beyond religious symbolism and reflect on the realities faced by women in society.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Kendua Shanti Sangha Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samiti celebrated its 53rd Durga Puja with the theme 'Aishwaryi'—blending devotion, community spirit, and artistic craft. (15.10) https://t.co/rJaltiV2J0

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2026

Theme Draws Inspiration From Satyajit Ray’s ‘Devi’

The concept also draws a parallel with filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s 1960 Bengali film ‘Devi’. The film follows Dayamoyee, a young woman whom her family begins to worship as an incarnation of Goddess Kali. As religious beliefs take precedence over reason, she becomes trapped in an identity imposed upon her, with devastating consequences for her personal life and emotional well-being. The pandal’s theme also recalls the literary history associated with ‘Devi’, a story published in 1899 with a narrative provided by Rabindranath Tagore. By connecting literature, cinema and present-day social realities, the installation raises an important question: How much has the position of women really changed over the years? Despite progress in education, technology and women's rights, superstition and patriarchal attitudes continue to influence social behaviour. The theme highlights the contradiction between worshipping the feminine divine and restricting the autonomy of women in everyday life.

Organisers Highlight The Vulnerability Of Women

Speaking to ANI, Sanjib Chatterjee, working president of the Kendua Shanti Sangha Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee, explained the thought behind the installation.He said t he theme portrays a vulnerable girl who is elevated to the status of a goddess but is subsequently placed in a dangerous situation, eventually leading to her death by suicide. Through this depiction, the organisers aim to highlight the continuing vulnerability of women and the threats they face in society. The installation seeks to draw attention to the gap between the reverence shown to goddesses during religious festivals and the treatment women may experience in real life. With ‘Aishwaryi’, the Kendua Durga Puja pandal turns a festive space into a platform for social reflection, urging visitors to question entrenched beliefs and recognise the importance of women's dignity, freedom and individuality. Make the headline more conciseRemove unsupported interpretive details.

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