Durga Puja and food have always gone hand in hand. There are plates of bhog, boxes of mishti that never seem to end, and quick food stops between one pandal and the next. For many people, the festival is as much about taste as it is about art and devotion. This year, one pandal in Kolkata has taken that love for food a step further and built its entire theme around the sweets Bengal is known for.
The pandal belongs to Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity, which is stepping into its 87th year. Its theme is Madhuri Maitrir Anneshane, which translates to In Search of Sweetness and Harmony. Despite the delicious subject, this is not just a tribute to your favourite sandesh or rasgulla. The theme traces how Bengali sweets have evolved over time. It starts with traditional ingredients such as jaggery, rice and coconut, and moves on to the rise of chhana-based delicacies that gave Bengal some of its most iconic creations, including sandesh, rasgulla and pantua.
Behind these much-loved sweets are generations of artisans whose craftsmanship helped shape Bengal’s culinary identity. Many of their stories and traditional recipes have faded with time. The pandal wants to bring them back into focus and celebrate the people who turned humble ingredients into lasting cultural treasures. It is a reminder that every sweet we pick up from a counter began as someone’s skill, patience and daily routine.
There is a larger story here too. In Bengal, the neighbourhood sweet shop has long been more than a place to buy a box of mishti. It is where people meet, chat and catch up over a plate of sweets. From festive offerings during Durga Puja to small tokens of affection in everyday life, sweets have a way of bringing people together. That social role is easy to overlook, and the pandal places it at the heart of its idea.
The theme also draws inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of unity in diversity. The idea is that food can cross social and cultural boundaries, and that a shared sweet can bring very different people to the same table. To bring this across, artist Manas Das and the team are using evocative visuals, ambient soundscapes and intricate decor. Their aim is to turn the familiar sweet shop into a living museum of memory, craftsmanship and harmony.
This is what makes the theme work. Many festival themes depend on size and spectacle, but sweets need no explanation. Almost every visitor already has a favourite, and almost everyone has a memory attached to it. By starting from something so familiar, the pandal lets people enter the story without any effort. They do not have to study history to feel connected. They only have to remember the last time they shared a box of sweets with someone they loved.
The focus on forgotten artisans may be the most meaningful part of the Kolkata pandal. Sweets are often enjoyed without a thought for who made them. When a pandal tells the story of the makers, it gives visitors a reason to look at a familiar box of mishti differently. It also gives younger visitors a chance to learn that food heritage is not only kept alive by famous names, but by ordinary craftspeople working in small shops, year after year.
Bengal is not the only place where food has found its way into the festival. In Ranchi, one pandal in the Hindpiri area is giving golgappas and jhalmuri their moment in the spotlight. The pandal features golgappa-inspired decorations, and the organisers hope the quirky concept will draw visitors of all ages who come to seek Maa Durga’s blessings.
There is a thought behind the fun as well. According to the organisers, golgappas and jhalmuri reflect the many flavours of life. A golgappa can be sweet, tangy and spicy in a single bite, just as life brings its own share of bitter and sweet moments. Jhalmuri, with its spicy and tangy kick, adds another flavour to the same idea. It is a simple metaphor, but it connects easily with anyone who has ever stood at a street stall, waiting for the next plate.
What links the two pandals is the way they take something familiar and give it a new context. In Kolkata, a sandesh becomes a symbol of Bengal’s cultural memory. In Ranchi, a golgappa becomes a playful reminder that life, much like food, is best experienced in all its flavours. Both themes show that festivals do not always need grand myths or towering structures to make people stop and look. Sometimes the most powerful idea is the one already sitting on a plate at home.
So, if you are planning a pandal-hopping route this year, look out for these food-inspired themes. You may well end up craving a plate of golgappas or a box of mishti by the end of it. A sandesh may be gone in a few bites, but the memories shared over it can last for years.
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