Every year, in the grandeur and magnificence of each of the Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata lies some of the most beautiful shringar that pays an ode to the beauty of Ma Durga and her stateliness. This time, at Kolkata’s Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samiti Pandal, the Ma’s exquisiteness was enhanced by a shringar of a rather different type. A 15 ft x 22ft idol of the goddess was adorned and decorated completely with bottles of Dalda. From the jewellery to the crown to other elaborate adornments on the idol, each boasted of an intricate design with Dalda bottles. The entire installation was made as a 3D art and a total of 2000 plus bottles were used in the setting.

The consummate campaign was conceived and executed by the leading experiential marketing agency The Brand Brewery for Dalda Edible Oils. The sheer opulence of the idol and the uniqueness of the shringar attracted hordes of devotees and enthusiasts to the pandal. While pandals generally compete with each other during the nine days of Durga Puja to display some of the best artistic works, out-of-the box installations like these become big crowd-pullers.

Talking about the campaign, Jaeraj Surve, Director, The Brand Brewery (TBB) said, “In our culture, the Lord’s shringar is one of the most important elements before a puja. During Durga Puja too, pandals put in great efforts to give the best of shringar to Ma Durga’s idol. We thought this was a great occasion to reach out to people since we all know how grand Durga Puja is in Kolkata. This was also a great way to strike an emotional chord with devotees.”

In continuing with the celebrations, TBB also came up with the idea of installing 5000 kalash made out of Dalda bottles at the Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsav Pandal. Traditionally, the kalash or ghata is meant to represent Goddess Durga and She is invited to stay in the kalash. This installation too had people making a beeline – some to pay their obeisance and other to look at its splendour. Said Jaeraj, “Durga Puja is the time when art, culture and creativity all go hand in hand to celebrate one of the biggest festivals of the state. It is that time when people gather together and keep aside all their animosity. Through this kalash installation, we wanted to tap those sentiments and connect with them.”