September 19, 2025

Kolkata’s Pujo festival is bubbling with a fresh twist this year! In Alipore, a tea-themed pandal is stealing hearts with a showstopper – a gigantic mural of none other than the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. Curated by the talented Anirban Das, this artistic marvel beautifully blends the music legend’s rhythmic charm with the warm embrace of chai. Heritage lover Mudar Patherya summed it up perfectly: "This mural validates that whenever you see Zakir sitting cross-legged, you will think of a beverage and a milk-white monument that some besotted emperor built because he was missing his wife." What a sweet and smart connection! The mural, crafted from wooden slats and lit with secret rope lights, sets a magical mood for the entire pandal. But that’s just the beginning. Imagine walking through twelve elegant frescoed pillars showcasing historic figures connected to tea, a thangka-inspired protima painted right on the spot, and a ceiling bursting with over 1,200 hand-painted rikaabis! Clay busts honor the hardworking tea garden workers who make every sip possible. Behind this grand show, 150 skilled professionals worked tirelessly for two whole months, adding up to 900 person-days! For Patherya, this pandal is not just festival decoration: "Call this a museum, not a pandal. Upload Anirban’s thought process with QR codes. And when you capture it on 0.5x, send it to your friends — they’ll think you’ve just walked out of Florence." So, this Pujo, get ready to sip art, music, and history all at once in Kolkata’s tea-inspired wonderland!

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Tags: Kolkata pujo, Zakir hussain, Tea-themed pandal, Tabla maestro, Alipore pujo, Anirban das,