By West Bengal Minister

Copyright thehindu

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday (September 20, 2025) started Durga Puja pandal inauguration for 2025 at Tala Prattoy in north Kolkata. She is set to inaugurate over 3,000 pandals in the next five days across the State.

To mark 100 years of the Tala Prattoy Durga Puja, Ms. Banerjee visited the pandal in the locality, along with Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma. The theme for the pandal is “Beej Angan” — seeds in the courtyard — a small unit (seed) holding the potential for the beginning of a new generation. Celebrated artist Bhabatosh Sutar, who brought to life the theme, was present at the event.

Ms. Banerjee chose this theme and wrote a song on it, which is sung by West Bengal Minister of State for Tourism and Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen.

“Back in the day, we used to have many Durga Puja songs sung in Bengali; we used to look forward to it. Now the respect for Bengali songs is declining. Bengal is our motherland. We are here as Indian citizens because of Bengal,” Ms. Banerjee said while addressing the gathering at the pandal.

CM calls for unity

Even as Kolkata and many other parts of south Bengal continued to witness heavy rains since Friday (September 19), Ms. Banerjee raised concerns about the adverse weather conditions during the biggest Bengali festival of the year.

Later in the evening, Ms. Banerjee visited Sreebhumi Sporting Club’s Durga Puja pandal on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. This pandal, headed by the State Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, is one of the biggest themed pandals in Kolkata. The CM also inaugurated the Hatibagan Sorbojanin pandal in north Kolkata.

“Speaking Bengali should not invite trouble for people. Bengali migrant labourers go outside because they are in demand for their skills. Everybody has different skills… But unity in diversity is our philosophy. Let us spend this time of the festival in harmony with everyone,” said Ms. Banerjee. She called for unity among diverse communities and wished people for Durga Puja and Navratri.

Preview of top 24 themed pandals

Organised by massArt, the Tala Prattoy event will offer a preview of top 24 themed Durga Puja pandals across Kolkata for people who want to avoid peak rush during the 5-day festivities. Many foreign dignitaries from across the world frequent this preview show, especially after the celebration was accorded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) intangible heritage tag a few years ago.

The fourth edition of the massArt preview show of Durga Puja art started on Thursday (September 18, 2025) in the presence of Tim Curtis, Director, UNESCO South Asian Regional Office; Firhad Hakim, Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor and Minister of Urban Development; Minister Indranil Sen; and Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, secretary, massArt, among others.

“This year, the massArt show is all about accessibility. All the 24 pandals will be accessible to senior citizens and persons with special abilities. This is the largest public art festival in the world; it is a multi-crore industry which is important for artists and pujas alike,” Mr. Suvo told The Hindu. He also pointed out that such exhibitions and previews will help position Durga Puja in the global art market.