Irish goddess Danu celebrated in Kolkata Durga Puja pandal to celebrate 75 years of India-Ireland diplomatic relations

Irish artists join hands with Kolkata creator in developing a unique Durga Puja installation

Kolkata: 

Two artists from Ireland have joined hands with Bengal artists to create a unique blend of Bengali and Irish goddesses for this year’s Durga Pujas. This concept came alive to celebrate and commemorate the 75 years of India-Ireland diplomatic relations. 

Two artists from Ireland, Lisa Sweeney and Richard Babington, teamed up with Bengali artist Sanjib Saha to build a confluence between Bengali goddess Maa Durga and Irish goddess Danu at the Behala Nutan Dal in south Kolkata. This artwork is a collaborative celebration of art forms from the two nations. The artists are from Irish group Macnas from Galway and the thought behind creating the two goddesses together was to mark the maternal element in both Durga and Danu. 

The collaboration was initiated by the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi and has been in the works for months. The artists had multiple rounds of brainstorming sessions on virtual calls before the two Irish artists came down to Kolkata to start the physical work around 25 days ago. The theme of the artwork is “Kalpana” or imagination which revolves around the natural trees and plants present in the area and has been made with bamboos, wood, and trees. 

Artist Ms. Sweeney said Danu was their Celtic goddess, and the piece was in response to the Bengali goddess Durga. She told The Hindu, “It is about the strong female energy in both and the warriorhood. We started working on the concept since June.” 

It was Mr. Babington’s idea to make a piece which celebrated the two goddesses in their complete glory, and he had visited the art site early in June to get started on the concept. “The Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland contacted the Indian embassy and initiated this collaboration and that’s how this beauty came to life. Our goddess Danu is the mother goddess, she also represents fertility, she is involved in nature, water and rivers, that is why her structure here is in between a pond,” said Mr. Babington.  

While participating in another celebrated Durga Puja inauguration in Kolkata, Deputy Ambassador of Ireland Rayond Mullen told The Hindu, “Every time we are so struck by the cooperation between the communities and artists to create what is the world’s biggest public art festival. We are lucky to have worked with Behala Notun Dal and bring over one of Ireland’s largest street and performance art collective, Macnas to India to create a joint India Ireland pandal.”

Published - October 03, 2024 07:54 pm IST