Gouribari

Gouribari Sarbojanin Durga Puja

Gouribari Sarbojanin Durgotsab is a North Kolkata community puja based around Aurobindo Setu, Gouribari, near Manicktala (Kolkata 700004). The area — a quiet north-Kolkata neighbourhood with a rich heritage, sometimes called the city’s old “theatre para” — hosts this long-standing celebration that is a fixture of the local Durga Puja calendar.

In 2025 the committee drew wide attention with the theme “Mati aar Jibon” (Soil and Life). Artist Nikhil Mistri built the entire pandal from nearly 60,000 bricks, drawing on the terracotta tradition of Bishnupur and Panchmura, and even carved the idols directly from brick. The work celebrated Bengal’s elemental bond with the earth — prism, jal, agni, vayu and mitti — and told stories of life, death and renewal through wall motifs of Shiva–Parvati, the goddess slaying the demon, and a boat symbolising forward movement.

Assistant secretary Shubnath Nandi explained that the pandal was conceived as a cultural and spiritual statement: as Bengalis, our existence is tied to the five elements, and ultimately we all return to the soil. The committee also arranged a helpline and volunteer assistance so that differently abled visitors could experience the pandal comfortably.

• Location: Aurobindo Setu, Gouribari, Manicktala (North Kolkata).
• 2025 theme: “Mati aar Jibon” — a 60,000-brick pandal by Nikhil Mistri.
• Identity: a respected north-Kolkata community Durga Puja.

Gouribari’s turn to earth and brick in 2025 placed it among North Kolkata’s most thoughtful, heritage-minded pujas, sitting alongside neighbours such as Tala Barowari in the area’s creative corridor.