Lalit Kala Akademi to study Durga Puja's evolution

In a bid to offer an insight into the evolution of Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal, the union culture ministry has launched a research project through its fine art institution, Lalit Kala Akademi.

In the year-long survey, experts from various fields will undertake an extensive study to document and publish the evolution of Durga Puja and the art form associated with it.

Scheduled to begin in a week, the survey conducted by the Akademi (also known as the National Academy of Fine Art) seeks to digitalise the changes the festival has seen over the centuries.

"Initially, the ceremony was a family affair... then it gradually became a public occasion. The art-form linked to it, like the idols and the overall decoration also changed through the centuries. The research will document and publish all those changes," the Akademi's regional secretary Manoj Sarkar told IANS.

A committee comprising art historians, sculptors, image artists among others has been formed under the supervision of Sarkar and Akademi chairman Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty.