Kolkata: The number of Ganesh Pujas in Kolkata and its adjoining areas could rise by around 15% this year, according to idolmakers, with the total estimated to touch nearly 11,000 as the festival continues to spread across the city and neighbouring districts of Howrah, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas.The growth is being reflected in Kumartuli, where idolmakers say orders have increased by around 10%-15% this year. Several new Ganesh Pujas are also coming up along BT Road and in North 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly, indicating that the festival is moving beyond its traditional strongholds.“The orders have gone up by almost 15% this year. This is in keeping with the trend that Ganesh Puja is increasing every year,” said Kartik Pal, secretary of the idolmakers’ cooperative in Kumartuli.Ganesh Puja, which will be celebrated on Monday, has grown in number and prominence in the last one and a half decades in the state. In recent years, Ganesh Puja has spread from areas such as Burrabazar and Posta to housing complexes, residential associations and neighbourhood clubs across Kolkata, Salt Lake, New Town, Behala and the northern suburbs.“We started receiving advances from Rath itself. Many people had booked the idols. We are in the final stages of preparation,” said Mala Pal, a female idolmaker in Kumartuli.The change has been underway for more than a decade. In 2022, idolmakers reported a 25% jump in Ganesh idol orders after the pandemic, while describing the festival as having made a permanent entry into Kolkata’s festive calendar. Artisans and organisers attributed the longer-term growth partly to the increase in entrepreneurs and people from different parts of the country settling in Kolkata.The deity’s association with prosperity, success and the removal of obstacles has particular resonance with business communities, while the festival’s emphasis on new beginnings makes it an attractive occasion for new neighbourhood groups and residential communities to establish their own celebrations.For Kumartuli’s idolmakers, the expansion has translated into a new and increasingly important stream of work ahead of the city’s biggest festival, Durga Puja. The demand ranges from small idols for homes and apartment blocks to larger figures commissioned by established community pujas.The political change in the state has also found expression in some of the Ganesh Puja celebrations in terms of themes. In Baguiati, Executive Palace Apartment Owners’ Association has built its Ganesh Chaturthi theme around ‘Parivartan – Towards a developed Bengal with a double-engine govt’.The installation includes references to connectivity, Orange Line Metro and the Chingrighata bottleneck, demolition of illegal constructions and the opening of new industries.“Ganesh Chaturthi is a celebration of new beginnings, wisdom and the removal of obstacles. This year, we are trying to present a vision of a Bengal that is progressive, confident, secure and full of opportunity,” said Ankit Agarwal, secretary of Executive Palace Apartment Owners’ Association.
