Kolkata/IBNS: Asian Paints Sharad Shamman, the city's iconic Durga Puja celebration, marked its 40th anniversary in 2025 with the "Cholte Cholte 40" project, which transforms the city's yellow taxis into moving time capsules.

Each taxi is transformed into a multicoloured view into its era, with beautifully painted outsides and interiors created as immersive spaces using wallpaper, fabrics, and colours.

This celebration was unveiled in the presence of Amit Syngle, MD and CEO of Asian Paints Ltd., and Bengali actors Abir Chatterjee and Sauraseni Maitra.

"Ever since I’ve known about Durga Puja, I’ve known of Asian Paints Sharad Shamman," actor Sauraseni Maitra said at the unveiling. "Our generation still prefers to call it the Oscars of Durga Puja."

Asian Paints Sharad Shamman was founded in 1985 after a newspaper ad altered the city's perception of its celebration. Pujo was recognised for the first time as an act of imagination and design alongside his devotion.

Three committees were honoured with the Best Puja award in the first edition, and Asian Paints Sharad Shamman created more categories over time to symbolise the festival's growth—Best Artisan (Shrestho Protimashilpi), Best Puja (Shrestho Pujo), and Discovery of the Year (Bochorer Bismoy).

Co-founder of XXL Collective and St+art India Foundation, Arjun Bahl, said, "I think each taxi represents a decade and it shows how the Sharad Samman and the pandals have evolved."

Speaking on the occasion, Amit Syngle, MD and CEO of Asian Paints Ltd, said, “When Asian Paints Sharad Shamman began in 1985, it set out to honour the imagination of Pujo. Forty years later, it has become a living chronicle of Kolkata’s creative spirit.

"In this milestone year, the yellow taxi felt like the most fitting tribute. An everyday companion of Pujo that has carried families, artisans, and stories across the city. This is our “Royale Tribute to Kolkata”, he added.

Asian Paints, to mark these 40 years, used the yellow taxi, which has been vital to Kolkata's historic journeys but now is currently slowly disappearing from the streets.

(Photos by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)