Disney theme parks are widespread across the globe, but India hasn’t yet been Disney’s choice for the same. But isn’t Disney for everyone? Why should Indians not experience the glimpses of experiencing Disneyland in Kolkata or any other part of India?
Well, Durga Puja is a yearly festivity that is massively celebrated in the Indian state of West Bengal. Goddess Durga is said to come to her paternal home (Earth) with Her family during the Navratri period.
It is time of celebration and thousands of people flock to the capital city of Kolkata to experience the grandeur.
The city is lit up with beautiful lighting and there are pandals in every street. Pandals are temporary structures created with bamboo with different themes to welcome the Devi and Her family. They are worshipped in each pandal from the sixth day of Navratri up to Vijaya Dashami.
Disneyland in Kolkata
While there are many local pandals that are structured to do puja ceremonies only, some of them go an extra mile.
The Durga Puja themes associate with social issues, stories, and sometimes replicas of other places.
Shreebhumi Durga Puja gained quite a crowd across the past few years due to their epic theme choices.
One year they chose to create a pandal with a famous Indian movie (Bahubali) theme, while another year they recreated St. Peter’s Basilica.
This year, they went with the Disneyland theme and it is crazy how accurate they have been in the making.
Instagram Reels of people flocking in has been circulating right from Mahalaya (the first day) and continues to show pandal-hoppers enthusiasm for the design.
The pandal structure looks identical to Disneyland Sleeping Beauty castle and surprisingly also has animated a projector showing Disney characters.
It is a delight to imagine the lengths that Durga Puja committees can go to give magical vibes on California in Calcutta.
