Kolkata/IBNS: Hatibagan Sarbojonin Durgotsav Committee have been awarded the ‘Sharod Srijoni Shiromani Samman’ by Sharod Srijoni Samman ’24, a festival based award in India, instituted to salute the publicity, concept and style conceived by Durga Puja Committees to promote themselves.

Victory of Light over Darkness, as the Goddess Smiles upon the Vanquished Evil. /Soumyadev Sarkar/Kolkata/2019

Conceived by Krishna Charita Eco Homes, Sharod Srijoni Samman began in 2012 and for more than a decade, the brand has been honouring the promotion and publicity undertaken by the Durga Puja Committees to attract the pandal hoppers even before the first steps are taken for erecting a pandal.

Embodiments of Chaos Await Their Fall—Evil Must be Conquered for Dharma to Prevail. /Soumyadev Sarkar/Kolkata/2019

The Winners:

Sharod Srijoni Shiromani Samman: Hatibagan Sarbojonin Durgotsav Committee

Sharod Srijoni Special Jury Samman: Pratapaditya Road Tricon Park Durgotsav Committee

Sharod Srijoni Rekha (Art) Samman: Ahiritola Yubakbrindo

A vibrant depiction of Goddess Durga, radiating divine energy, surrounded by symbols of the sacred feminine such as lotuses, a trishul (trident), and crescent moons. Around her, women of different ages and backgrounds, dressed in traditional Bengali sarees, perform rituals and offer flowers, embodying reverence and strength.

Sharod Srijoni Barta (Message) Samman: Nalin Sarkar Street Sarbojonin Durgotsav

Sharod Srijoni Bhabna (Concept) Samman: Shyama Palli Shyama Sangha

Sharod Srijoni Chitrolekhon (Calligraphy) Samman: Behala Club Sarbojonin Durgotsav

Sharod Srijoni Samaj Bandhu (Social Message) Samman: Adarshapalli Sarbojonin Durgotsav Committee

This year over 350 entries were received from Puja Committees across Bengal and beyond. The first round of shortlisting was done to reduce the entries to 85 and then to top 25 and finally top seven.

Talking about the award, Founder of Krishna Charita Eco Homes Amitava Samanta said, “This is the only award that does not see whether a puja committee is spending lakhs or thousands after their puja. We only see how they have created the concept and the thought for the festival. We celebrate creative minds.”

Ms Subarna Datta Mookherjee, Founder, Krishna Charita Eco Homes, said: “In the jazz and sheen of the puja, we often forget the graphic artists, the copywriters, the designers who sit in the backseat of and create the first buzz about the puja. These awards are to celebrate these artists. It is a battle of creativity where money does not matter. These awards are a great leveller where everyone fights it out on the same parameters and on the same pedestal. Its to give the artists their due creating a harmonious artwork that makes the puja goers talk."

A panel of ten judges selected the awards. They are Mr. Sudipta Kundu, Mr. Bhaskar Rakshit, Mr. Kaushik Sil, Mr. Saugata Mookherjee, Mr. Subhendu Roy, Ms. Subarna Datta Mookherjee, Ms. Sonali Mondal Samanta, Ms. Madhuchhanda Sen, Ms. Sumita Karmakar and Mr. Arindam Basu.