Thread by @satyanewshi

Economic Impact of Durga Pujo: Durga pujo is no doubt the biggest festival of Bengalis,its grandeur unmatched world wide & it is totally mass funded exercise which also rejuvenates Bengals economy in the 3rd quarter & brings smiles to every household.

In the 16th century, the Smarta scholar Raghunandan, describing the procedures followed in various pujas, refers to Durga Pujo as ‘Durgotsav’.Hence festivities has been integral part of it

Besides,here the goddess is not only a ‘mother’ like other female deities worshiped in different parts of India. Durga, Uma or Parvati is also a married daughter whose annual visit to her paternal home (the mortal world) along with her family is the cause for the celebration.

The celebration in Bengal has unmatched creativity in every field from Creation of idols to beautiful pandals & Awe inspiring lighting works , one can safely say their is a Creative Economy centred around Durgotsav

A British Council report commissioned by the tourism department of the Bengal government  mapped the creative economy of Durga Pujo which it estimated at Rs 32,377 crore annually, which is 2.58 % of Bengal’s Economy

britishcouncil.in/programmes/art…

The research report pin pointed 10 industries that drives the Durga Pujo,to the credit of the report it provides both quantitative & qualitative assessment .

economyindia.in/the-creative-e…

The gist of findings were : There are about 36,000 registered community Durga Pujo’s in West Bengal and 2,500 community Pujo in Kolkata. Around 1,500 pujo’s are organised by women.

The highest contribution to the creative economy was the retail sector, which contributed to ₹27,364 crore, registering a 100% spike in sales during the festive season when discounts and offers are given

Food and Beverage makes a Business of Rs 2,854 crore Consumer spend during the festive month is believed to be 30 % higher than that of the previous month.

Installation, arts & decoration is a Business of Rs 860 crore & and Kolkata accounted for 15% share of the pandal-making industry in West Bengal.

Idol makers of Bengal, known as the Pal community, have their origins in Nadia's Krishnanagar. They branched out to Kumortuli, the traditional potter’s colony near Shobhabazar in North Kolkata, from rural / semi-rural areas.

The history of clay modeling artists in Kolkata dates back to the 17th century

Various mediums utilised for Durga Puja advertisements include TV, print, OOH, radio, cinema and digital is Business of ₹504 crore

Interestingly similar findings was also reported by ‘Economic & Political weekly’ on 2nd Oct, 1954 . Though it gave qualitative analysis instead of quantitative analysis

On 15 - Dec -2021 Durga pujo was inscribed on the Intangible Heritage list of UNESCO

https://twitter.com/unesconewdelhi/status/1471081944331001860?s=46&t=yCLKSORs7TnneUvdFCNuYg

Tapati Guha Thakurta, a well-known art historian, and her team helped in preparing the dossier backed by The tourism dept of Bengal govt ,which forwarded the dossier to the Union government, who in turn recommended it to UNESCO as an entry from India.

It was submitted in March 2019 & Durga Pujo was declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, in 2021.

google.com/amp/s/m.timeso…

It is the 1st Asian festival to receive the prestigious recognition. Apart from the honour, this will bring international tourists, who want to witness the grandeur of the Pujo,to Bengal.

As writer Amit Chaudhuri wrote in his book Calcutta: Two Years in the City “The myth of the Pujas is a simple one – full of rural sweetness. ... The Pujas are, in part, an ever-returning homage to that magical sense of being rescued, so indispensable to children”

Durga pujo has been described as the greatest public art show in the world ,and to create it is an herculean effort goes on for at least 3 months which is a testimony of finest project management & Artistic brilliance. Do watch this video to understand the spirit of Durga pujo .