Tears coming down from the eyes of Jagaddhatri carrying a baby which symbolises as life : Artist themes on Global war

Biswabrata Goswami

Hummingbird News

KRISHNAGAR, 21 NOV: Krishnagar for the first time in its history is celebrating its grandest festival Jagaddhatri puja amidst the Covid-19 outbreak and the celebrations this year is slightly different from the past years.

Each year, pandal hoppers and people from outside Krishnagar manage to catch a glimpse of varied themes of puja pandal along with traditional forms of pujas in various Baroaries. But, this year, among the most sought after themes of Jagaddhatri puja pandals across the town, a puja committee at Chowrastha in Krishnagar has themed their celebration on Global war like situation where Jagaddhatri has been symbolized as Mother (Earth) carrying a baby (life) who is shown very much worried on nuclear war.

The Mother (Jagaddhatri) appeals to all to keep peace failing which life will no longer withstand on the earth. The Mother is also shown holding the earth in her two hands with tears coming down from her eyes, the implication being that if the war-war situation is aggravated, she will be life-less. The artist Debabrata Malakar has modeled the idol with his own innovative ideas.

Prof. David J Gross, Nobel Laureate and Chancellor’s Chair of Theoretical Physics, University of California, had recently told at the IIT-Madras convocation that the world is undergoing rapid change and as the event of the last few months show, no one can predict what will happen next week, much less beyond that. 

On Covid-19 pandemic, he said many scientists predicted that such a pandemic would inevitably arrive and yet their warnings were largely ignored.

“Similarly, many scientists warn of impending disasters of global warming, climate change. Yet, these warnings have not been sufficiently addressed. I take this occasion to warn all of the continuing and indeed worsening danger of nuclear weapons whose use could destroy all life on the planet. We must not ignore it”, he said.

Malakar, who has tried to focus his idea through his model is similar to that of the warning which has already been addressed by the Nobel laureate.  

Jagadhatri Puja is the most important festival celebrated after Durga Puja, Laxmi and Kali Puja in Krishnagar. This year, several restrictions on celebrating puja festivities have been imposed to prevent the spread of Covid infections. Amidst this situation several baroaries and club committees have arranged pujas after keeping Covid protocols in mind.