From mental health to Covid: 10 unique Durga Puja pandals to visit in 2021

Durga Puja is celebrated with great zeal across West Bengal. Mainly in the capital, Kolkata, the festival is observed in full fervour. Organising the Durga Puja on contemporary themes is prevalent in the state for the past several years. From farmer’s agitation, NRC to replicated Burj Khalifa, here we take a look at some interesting pandal themes this year.

Durga Puja pandal at Babubagan (Garden of Babus), the theme of which is a library. Credit: AFP Photo

A peek inside the Durga pandal built with the theme on a community library in Kolkata. Credit: AFP Photo

A puja themed on the issues of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and NRC and CAA issues in Kolkata. This pandal featured among the list of

Titled 'Bhager Maa' (mother divided), the goddess is depicted as a mother who, with her four children, are being taken in a vehicle that looks like a cage. The marquee is divided into two parts, India and Bangladesh, and the mother and her children are in no man's land. Credit: PTI Photo

A Durga puja pandal replicates Dubai's iconic Burj Khalifa. (Credit: ANI Photo)

The Durga puja theme of Dumdum Park Bharat Chakra in the eastern fringes of Kolkata is the farmers' agitation. The club is the sole entry in the list for the 'Anya Bhavna' (Different thinking) category of the award. Credit: PTI Photo

The pandal on the farmer's agitation was also selected for another category of the government's

A community puja pandal themed on 'Cyclone Yaas hit Sundarban'. Credit: PTI Photo

A general view of a community Durga Puja pandal based on the theme of 'Women Empowerment' in Kolkata. Credit: PTI Photo

A puja pandal themed on Covid-19 hospital in Kolkata. Credit: Reuters Photo