Every autumn, Kolkata changes. Streets turn into huge public art galleries, neighbourhoods become cultural hotspots, and the city’s creative energy finds expression in elaborate pandals themed on a variety of events and expressions. Artists, sculptors, idol makers and community organisers who spend months preparing for a festival that lasts a few days, are at the centre of these extraordinary iterations.
This year, a new corporate entity is joining that creative landscape. The Adani Group is making its first high-profile entry into Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations with a dedicated public showcase, signalling a new chapter in corporate engagement with the city’s biggest cultural festival.
The Adani Durga Puja Preview 2026, scheduled for October 10, 11, and 12, will bring together eight select community Pujas in a three-night exhibition before the main festival days. The initiative comes in the first Durga Puja season under the BJP government in West Bengal, adding another dimension to a festival that has always reflected the changing social, cultural, and economic character of the city.
Corporate participation in Kolkata’s Durga Puja is not new. Over the years, several companies and organisations have associated themselves with the festival by recognising outstanding pandals, innovative idols, community initiatives, and the artistic excellence of community Pujas. Such awards and recognitions have become an integral part of the festival’s competitive spirit, encouraging organisers and artists to experiment with new themes, objects, materials, and forms of expression.
But Adani’s latest initiative marks a different kind of engagement. Instead of limiting its presence to awards or sponsorship, the group is creating a platform that places the artists and the creative process behind the festival at its centre.
Its association with Kolkata’s artistic community is also extending beyond the pandals. The group has joined hands in an initiative to transform Kumartuli Ghat on the banks of the Hooghly. Kumartuli, the historic neighbourhood that supplies thousands of Durga idols to Kolkata and beyond, is the nerve centre of the city's idol-making tradition. The riverfront is closely connected to the lives and livelihoods of its artisans, particularly during the immersion and idol-making seasons.
The proposed makeover brings attention to a part of the festival that often remains in the shadows of its spectacular pandals. For generations, Kumartuli's sculptors have provided the city's religious and artistic identity, working in cramped workshops where straw, clay, and paint gradually shape the goddess and her children.
The Adani Preview, meanwhile, has attracted considerable interest. More than 70 artists registered for the initiative, while over 30,000 visitors had registered by October 2, according to the organisers.
An independent, four-member jury comprising artist Paresh Maity, industrialist and cultural patron Harshavardhan Neotia, architect Abin Chaudhuri, and heritage conservationist Mudar Patherya selected eight Pujas for the showcase. The organisers say that Adani himself had no role in the selection.
The chosen Pujas include Alipore Sarbojanin Durgotsav, Yuba Sangha, Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha, Barisha Club, Behala Club Sarbojonin, Rajdanga Amra Kajon Kalyan Samity, Thakurpur State Bank Park Sarbojanin, and Nalin Sarkar Street Sarbojanin Durgatsob Samity.
The timing is significant. In 2021, UNESCO recognised Durga Puja in Kolkata as an element of intangible cultural heritage, acknowledging its extraordinary combination of art, community participation, and religious traditions. The recognition has also helped place the festival on the international cultural map.
For Adani, the preview offers an opportunity to associate with a cultural celebration whose influence extends well beyond Bengal. For Kolkata, it raises the prospect of a new corporate partnership with a festival that has traditionally drawn its strength from neighbourhood participation and artistic independence.
As the city prepares to celebrate its biggest festival, the question is whether this first-time, high-profile initiative will become a lasting feature of Kolkata’s evolving Durga Puja landscape.
