Pooja pandals use 'teaser campaigns' to pull crowd

The 'pooja pandals' of the city, famous for their varied themes and innovative materials used in constructing the Durga idols, have now employed "teaser campaigns" to draw crowd.
The teaser campaign is the product of a creative mind, which appeals to the aesthetic sense of a viewer.
A select panel of judges comprising veteran sculptor Niranjan Pradhan, photographer Piyal Adhikary, film/theatre director Jayashree Bhattacharya, poet Kamalini Chatterjee and the owner of a prominent art gallery in city, awards the best teaser campaigns.
Creatives and concepts from puja committees are sent from all over Bengal for 'Sharad Srijoni' award. The team members visit the participating Puja committees to assure that the concept sent in by the committees was in reality being executed, Jayashree said.

The award is aimed at recognising the hard work put behind each 'unique' puja pandal and the Bengali creativity demonstrated in brilliant advertisement campaigns, sculptor Pradhan said.
The one with the most innovative creative concept takes away the prize, he said.

"You can spend a lot of money and create one of the best themes. You can get big sponsors to erect a giant pandal. But you need creative brains for the teaser campaigns which are unique in themselves. Money can not be the only parameter," Amitava Samanta said on behalf of the award committee.
The teasers in catchy Bengali one-liners this time include 'Icchapuran' (granting of wish by the Goddess) in Jodhpur Park 95 Pally, 'Choukhupi' (the four-drawers) in Shiv Mandir Sarbojonin Durgotsab, 'Eso Mukto Karo' (let us work towards freedom) at Kasi Bose Lane, 'Uriye Keton Devir Bodhon' (let us invoke the Goddess by floating the flag of life).

"The creative highs the Durga puja committtees are reaching these days, the entire exercise, from the teasers to setting up pandals, need to be documented," director Goutam Ghosh had said recently.