Kashi Bose Lane

Artsy Pandal where Liberation, Justice and Reality find common ground

Main Spectacle at the entrance(By the Author)

Dear Readers,

Out of Baghbazar Sarbojonin’s traditional and majestic Pandal, we drift towards the Kashi Bose Lane. Red, white and black deftly find expression in the hoardings and the lighting. A large swarm of people flow, in a semi-stampede state through the narrow lanes with apartments and Indo-Saracenic houses with tall green windows and a bright yellow wall scattered on hither sides.

Occasional representational motifs or Patachitras of the lechrous Babus, who sold the indebt girls to domestic slavery.(By the Author)

We all walk with a common resolve towards the dark red fabric-wrapped pandal, with a thousand little shards of light. As we inch closer, a huge spectacle of a jute sack with the face of a newborn imprinted on it, dozens of hands and legs protruding out of the bag. We were all perplexed about the theme, but it stirred our subconscious minds collectively. There were two large banners, with Patachitra of “Babu”/s. Were these the “Cheledhora”(kidnapper) that our mothers and grandmothers had warned us against in their lullaby and occasional chiding? But a look towards the right, where handprints of children and banners in manifold languages howling “Save Our Children” silently gleamed, set the motion clear.

The Rotating Sculpture, where pain and prejudice found silent expression and symbolism.

We entered the claustrophobic dungeon, that was the pathetic reality for many. And as we walked under the tapestry of Patachitra, and Hand Prints, a narration played in the background. It was a girl, who asked Mother Goddess, why she didn't take pity on them. Being a mother, how she helplessly stares at her still idol, seeing her children’s childhood being snatched away by the petty social constructs. We then see a round table, often attributed to gambling in the upper classes, where a rotating disc was placed. On it were girl children, with an encased apple.

Decorated Bed forms a symbol of plight for the sexually exploited children. (By the author)

Beyond this was an artistic interpretation of the Nishiddho Pallis, whose bright red lights lure or deter, but stir none to stop this exploitation. A girl stood, facing the mirror, with a flower-strewn bed to her side.

A mirror into our selves and the Red Light Areas(or Nishiddho Pallis)(By the Author)

The narrator stopped, as we first saw Ma Durga. It should be noted here, that the idol of the goddess is deemed incomplete if it is not formed with the clay sourced from outside of the brothels. We looked up to an open sky, but we also looked in horror, as a lifesize model of a girl jumped from the verandah to attain salvation from this everyday pain.

Mud Idol of Durga Ma and the model of a girl jumping from the verandah to attain freedom.(By the Author)

We moved out into the open. People were singing and enjoying their puja. The children begging for alms at the gates moved about and spoke in the usual routine. The place was well-lit and breezy, but our minds were still attached to the pandal. It had left a profound impact on us. We may forget all about this reality once again, but Kashi Bose Lane is an experience worth visiting this Saradiya in 2023. The artists have done justice to the graphic topic at hand, and the shared anxieties, pain, experiences and will of those children to liberate oneself was vividly expressed. It gives us a strong will to melt down the shackles of repressive social constructs and to right the wrong.

Stay safe and keep reading. Thank you.