Hundreds of people migrate from rural West Bengal to Kolkata to meet the spike in demand for labour during its biggest celebration of the year: Durga Puja. Away from their families, they are integral to the festivities - from pandal decoration to making idols and transporting them
Tanmoy Bhaduri
Migrant porters carry idols from workshops to puja pandals in North Kolkata.
KOLKATA, West Bengal: During Durga Puja, Kolkata bursts into festivity and joy. Elaborate pandals are set up across localities, neighbourhoods, and housing complexes, where goddess Durga is welcomed and worshipped. These pandals are adorned with stunning decorations, intricate designs, and vibrant lights. And behind every artfully done pandal are hundreds of migrant workers, away from their families in the City of Joy, working just like they would on any other day.
Durga Puja, Kolkata's biggest festival, celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. The festival lasts for five days, starting on October 9 this year, but preparations begin weeks in advance. The city is filled with beautiful themed pandals, and food stalls offering delicious treats line the streets.
West Bengal's Durga Puja won the UNESCO cultural heritage tag in 2021, which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee credited for last year’s business boom during the festival, valued at around ₹80,000 crores, and for creating over 300,000 jobs.
Migrant workers construct a pandal in North Kolkata, that celebrates the rich history of Bengali theatre. The artists have recreated old theatre structures and designed vintage-style posters to showcase the glorious past of Bengali stagecraft.
Migrant workers pull the heavy clay idol from Kumortuli to the pandal. It takes more than ten trained porters to carefully transport the idol, ensuring it remains undamaged on its journey to the pandal.
The workers who transport the idols from workshops in Kumartuli, the famed idol makers' village, to trucks bound for pandals across Kolkata, play an integral yet often overlooked role in Durga Puja. These workers, who carry the beautifully crafted idols, remain in the background of the festivities.
Kolkata, once an industrial hub, has seen a sharp decline in employment opportunities over the past few decades. Many industries that once thrived in the city have either shut down or moved elsewhere, forcing local workers to migrate to other states in search of stable livelihoods. The shrinking job market has impacted sectors ranging from manufacturing to small-scale industries. Additionally, climate change and extreme weather events in neighbouring districts have made agriculture increasingly unviable, further driving rural labourers to seek work outside their homes.
However, the grand festival provides a temporary economic boost to the city. The pandals, idol-making, and related festival activities create seasonal jobs for hundreds of people. Migrant workers from rural areas—many from farms, brick kilns, and small factories—flock to Kolkata to meet the high demand for labour during the festive season.
Migrant workers, who serve as porters, take a moment to rest on the footpath of Kolkata’s Kumartuli after a long day of transporting idols to various pandals for Durga Puja.
Artists at Kumartuli are busy with last-minute preparations, meticulously painting and adding final touches to the idols before they are ready for decoration and transportation to pandals across Kolkata for Durga Puja.
Migrant workers, who transport idols, take a break during their leisure time, relaxing and playing cards after a day of hard work.
Sankar Gayen (65), who usually works as an agricultural labourer in Minakhan area in the Sundarbans, arrived in Kolkata on October 1, seven days before the start of the Puja. "This time, a team of 26 members from our village came here to transport idols. I have been coming here for the past 20 years, and we each earn between 3,000 to 5,000 rupees for delivering idols to different pandals," he said.
Samar Bhuiya (45), also from the same region in South 24 Parganas, works seasonally in a local brick kiln and comes to Kolkata every year to transport idols during the puja. "With agriculture becoming unprofitable and fewer jobs available for agricultural labourers, I started working at a local brick kiln six years ago. During this time of the year, we come to Kolkata to earn some extra money for Puja," he told The Migration Story.
When asked how their families celebrate Durga Puja in their absence, Samar smiled and said: "This additional income helps us enjoy good food—fish, mutton—and buy new clothes for the family."
Migrant workers put the finishing touches on the decorations for a North Kolkata Durga Puja pandal. (R) Papai Rabidas is busy welding at the pandal.
Similarly, the artisans who construct pandals that captivate thousands of visitors are mostly from rural districts across West Bengal, migrating to the city to contribute to its biggest festival.
Papai Rabidas (35), who is working at a pandal in North Kolkata, hails from a remote village in Kaliaganj, in the Uttar Dinajpur district. "I'm an expert in welding. Throughout the year, I work in an iron grill factory, but for the two months leading up to Durga Puja, I get the opportunity to work on pandal decorations," he said.
This year, the pandal's theme is based on borders. "I'm creating fencing in an artistic way by welding barbed wires," he added.
Tufan Das (30), another migrant labourer from Bolpur, is working in the same pandal as a painter. "I have been here for the past fifteen days, and we typically get employed for 21 to 30 days every year during Durga Puja," he shared. "This work provides us with a lump sum amount of around 20,000 to 30,000 rupees," he explained.
Rajib Ghorui assists his brothers in decorating a central Kolkata puja pandal.
Rajib Ghorui (20), a young undergraduate from Khejuri in East Medinipur, has joined his cousins for the first time in Kolkata to help decorate a pandal in central Kolkata. For him, it's exciting to be part of such large art installations. "I know a little bit about working with thermocol, and I am assisting my brothers to finish the decorations quickly since the rain has slowed us down," he said. However, he hopes to spend puja back in his village with his family and is not interested in staying in Kolkata for the entire festival.
Asesh Das, a traditional dhaki from Burdwan district, located over 100 km from Kolkata, arrives at Sealdah station three days before the puja begins.
As the pandals get their finishing touches, the dhakis (traditional drummers) have begun arriving at railway stations from villages, waiting to be booked by various puja committees. Some of them have already secured bookings at the same pandals they performed at last year. Ashesh Das (50), who has come from Burdwan with his son, will be playing the dhak during the week-long celebrations before leaving the city after the immersion.
"During Puja, we come to Kolkata for some additional income. We are traditional dhakis—our forefathers were also in this line of work. Even though we earn only a nominal amount ( Rs 8,000-10,000), it has become more of a tradition for us than just a profession," he said.
Nayeem waits for bookings during the Durga Puja season in Kolkata
While the dhakis remain optimistic about their bookings, migrant band player Nayeem (60) is far less satisfied. Having worked at Mehboob Band for the past 35 years, he has seen a decline in demand.
"Our popularity has decreased with the introduction of music systems. People are no longer interested in hiring us for the entire festival. Now, we are mostly in demand only on the opening day and during the immersion, but puja is incomplete without us," he said.
Tanmoy Bhaduri is a Delhi-based development communication specialist
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