Durga Puja in West Bengal is a major economic event that involves at least 50,000 crore in transactions and provides employment for about three lakh people and stakeholders. It is not just for fun and games. The celebration generates a flurry of economic activity for three to four months each year, with more than 40,000 community pujas taking place throughout the state including 3,000 in Kolkata, as per reports.
Partho Ghosh, the chairman of Forum For Durgatsab (FFD), an umbrella organisation of 400 community pujas, stated that the festival’s opulence “involves transactions of not less than 50,000 crore and provides employment to at least two-three lakh people across the state as the activities for the festivities begin three-four months ahead.”
After the pandemic lasted for two years, revellers have returned to pandal hopping with fresh zeal, and corporations are also being generous with their sponsorship this time, spending at least 500 crore. The festival’s distinctive selling point is the fervour of the crowd, according to Mr. Sarkar, a member of the committee for the Bosepukur Sitala Mandir puja.
They also view the designation of Durga Puja as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO as a “common success” and express hope that the festival would grow in the years to come as a result of the recognition.
An analysis of the creative economy around Durga Puja 2019 by the British Council revealed that the festival contributes 2.58% of the state’s GDP.
“For the West Bengal government, we funded the research that pegged the state’s entire worth of the creative industries related to Durga Puja in 2019 at about 33,000 crore ($4.5 billion). It set a baseline value for future study of this kind and a mechanism for conducting research of this kind on other festivals or even the entire creative economy of West Bengal and other states “Director Debanjan Chakrabarti of the British Council of East and Northeast India remarked.