Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Begins Countdown with 84th Khuti Puja
By Suman Munshi, IBG NEWS
Kolkata, August 14, 2026: The festive countdown to the 84th Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja officially began with the traditional Khuti Puja, bringing together prominent personalities from the worlds of cinema, music, business and public life.
Held on the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day, the ceremony was attended by actor Rituparna Sengupta, musician Bickram Ghosh, brand strategist Suhel Seth, industrialist Shishir Bajoria and MLA Vijay Ojha, alongside the Puja committee’s chairman Sundeep Bhutoria.
The Khuti Puja was hosted by Sundeep Bhutoria, Chairman of the Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee. Committee officials, including President Ashok Jaiswal, Vice Chairman Rajesh Bihani and Secretary Rajesh Jaiswal, were also present. Shishir Bajoria, President of the Chaltabagan Durga Puja Inauguration Committee 2026, joined the ceremonial proceedings.
Bhutoria described Khuti Puja as the symbolic beginning of the annual Durga Puja preparations, emphasising the long-standing relationship between the celebration and the local community. He noted that the festival, now entering its 84th year, continues to be shaped by the collective participation and shared enthusiasm of the neighbourhood.
Actor Rituparna Sengupta highlighted the emotional significance of Khuti Puja for Bengalis, describing it as the starting point of the festival that holds a special place in the hearts of the Bengali community. She expressed hope that the celebrations would bring people together through love, harmony and togetherness.
This year’s celebration is also expected to place particular emphasis on the relationship between traditional rituals and contemporary festivities. Shishir Bajoria said the Puja would seek to bring together Sanatani rituals and traditions with the celebratory character of Durga Puja, with the aim of preserving the festival’s spiritual dimensions alongside its cultural and social celebrations.
MLA Vijay Ojha described the occasion as marking a new beginning, while also referring to a departure from what he characterised as the political culture that had developed in West Bengal over the previous five decades.
With the Khuti Puja now completed, preparations for the 84th edition of the historic Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja have formally entered a new phase, setting the stage for months of planning, artistic preparation and community participation ahead of the Durga Puja festivities.
The event once again reflected Kolkata’s distinctive tradition of combining religious rituals, cultural expression and community participation around Durga Puja.
— Suman Munshi, IBG NEWS
Source: Information provided in the uploaded event material.
