Conch shells sound new pandal trends

Conch shells sound new pandal trends

Abhisek Roychowdhury
KOLKATA, Sept. 23: With every passing year, traditional art forms are being replaced by new variations in time for the festive season.

The pandal sponsored by the Raypur club at Ramgarh near Garia in South 24-Parganas will present one such idea. Conch shells would be used to make the idols of Goddess Durga and her entourage.

Mr Michael Bose, a graduate from Indian Art College, who now teaches at a private institution, first had the idea of using conch shells as the prime decorative material for the pandal and the deities. He is certain onlookers will be impressed with their ongoing preparation for the forthcoming celebrations. Mr Bose has roped in 30 of his students to help with this project .

Explaining the reason for choosing conch shell as the main ingredient, Mr Bose said that in West Bengal a conch shell is commonly used to usher in an auspicious occasion, especially during pujas and wedding ceremonies. Taking a leaf out of the story in Mahabharata he specified that the conch shell was blown by the mythological hero Lord Krishna, symbolising the initiation of the great war at Kurukshetra.

“The sound of conch shell is slowly fading away amidst the hustle and bustle of busy city life. This puja would be the ideal occasion to introduce the conch shell as an ingredient of idol making,” Mr Bose said.

Eighteen varieties of conch shells will invigorate the artist’s design. Nearly 10 lakh conch shells, collected from Puri, Digha, Sankarpur and Chennai, will be used in this project.

The pandal would be designed in the form of Buddha-Narayan temple in Nepal. “I have compared the deity with Buddha-Narayan, who has 18 hands. The pandal would resemble a Buddhist pagoda and the walls of the pandal would narrate the life history of Lord Buddha, starting from his birth to death through models made of conch shells. In order to create an ideal ambience for a Buddhist pagoda, a man-made waterbody has also been created and it would be lit up by several lamps,” he said.

Mr Sanjoy Chowdhury, the secretary of the club, said the pandal has cost them nearly Rs 9 lakh. "Our plan is to distribute clothes among the poor living in our locality. We are expecting to win some awards this year,” he added. source: http://www.thestatesman.net