I have been observing Durga Puja in Kolkata for more than six decades. Like every cultural phenomenon, Durga Puja is not static. It changes constantly; it is dynamic and remains in a state of flux.
However, Durga Puja 2026 has been distinctly different and represents a new cultural phenomenon.
One noticeable change has been the role played by the film industry, particularly Tollywood and television celebrities, in inaugurating Durga Pujas. With the BJP coming to power in West Bengal under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the festival has also acquired a different political and cultural character. For the Bengali middle class, Durga Puja has long been an integral part of its cultural identity, with roots that go back to the period when Kolkata was the capital of British India in the nineteenth century.
If Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders repeatedly attempt to reshape Sanatani Durga Puja according to their own cultural preferences, they must remember that the festival is deeply rooted in Bengali society.
However, from an ideological standpoint, a committed communist was expected to be an atheist. Such a person could be a humanist, but not a ritualistic Hindu. Consequently, Durga Puja was often presented as an autumn festival, with greater emphasis on its social character than on religious rituals.
During the more than 34 years of government by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, Durga Puja was never banned or deliberately stopped.
