Tamosa ma jyotirgamay : Oh Mother! take me to the world of light from darkness! The concept of illuination of mind is also related to the illumination of the world. And so in each and every festival of India 'light' symbolises a desire for a brighter tomorrow. The concept of 'light' in festivities is universal and has been conceived as a strong unifying force.
Technological advancement in all walks of life has had its deep impact on the concept of lighting as well - from the archaic concept of lighting with oil lamps to candle lights on to carbide gas lights, tulip lights , tube lights, chandeliers and twinklings.
When it comes to discussing the latest and creative in lighting, the name of Chandannagar can not escape mention. About 5,000 people in Chandannagar alone and about 40,000 in the entire Hooghly district and its neighbourhood are engaged in someway or the other in this industry. The artisans here offer a scintallating range of splendour and spectacle. Multi-coloured tulip bulbs fitted on woven wires, create a semblance of motion through lights generating images of moving bicycles, cars, trains, buds bloosoming into flowers, fire-spitting dragons and so on.
In fact, there is no end to Chandannagar creations. Innovations in creating images through lighting on contemporary issues like Amatya Sen receiving the Nobel Prize, tennis ace Leander Paes making a serve, cricketer Sourav Ganguly driving a magnificient shot regale the onlookers. The craze for lighting is not restricted to the puja pandals alone, but even in sports events, corporate events, wedding etc with cost ranging between Rs 2,000 to five lakh or even more.
It is difficult to say why Chandannagar became the centre of light industry. Some say that it may be due to the special flavour attached to the local festivals which have given the impetus to the proliferation of this unique craft. There has always been intense competition among the lighting artisans to outdo each other in terms of decoration. A pageant of floats and illumination precedes the immersion and every puja committee tries to make the best floats.
The wizards:
Sridhar Das
Kashinath Neogie