This year, BIG FM’s award-winning festive IP, BIG Green Durga, returns with a fresh focus on sustainability, inspired by Shashya, the grain that symbolizes life, nourishment, and abundance in Bengal.

Introduced in 2022, BIG Green Durga has grown each year by creatively reinterpreting the classic Durga idol with eco-friendly materials, cutting-edge technology, and inventive concepts. Starting with a paper-pulp Durga in its first year, moving to a jute idol made from discarded single-use plastic, and culminating last year with a 3D holographic Durga, the initiative has continually sought innovative ways to honor Maa Durga while staying mindful of environmental concerns.

In 2026, this journey becomes more organic and participatory with Shashya – er Shakti- The Power of Food Grain, presented in collaboration with Bhadreswar Group. An idol of Maa Durga crafted from paddy grains will symbolize the theme. Central to this year’s initiative is Dhannyo Kalash, a simple yet meaningful call for people of Kolkata to offer one handful of rice for Maa’s Puja.

Via BIG FM and the Bhadreswar Group, the Dhannyo Kalash will journey through various communities, RWAs, and paras, culminating at the City Centre 1 Kund area for the five days of Puja. The initiative aims to motivate citizens to step forward and donate rice as part of a greater communal effort.

Bhadreswar Group will multiply the collected grain significantly, converting this collective effort into Maha Bhog, which will then be distributed to orphanages and old age homes. The harvested rice will also serve as a key element of an eco-conscious Dhannyo Kalash, conceived using the natural visual and material expressions of rice, paddy, and paddy straw.

The installation aims to honor Maa as the representation of nourishment, abundance, and the force of Shashya. Together with Shashya – er Shakti, ‘ Cycle of Shakti’ remains a key experiential sub-theme of BIG Green Durga 2026. The concept is based on the belief that Shakti expands through sharing, forging a link between human involvement, collective energy, and the awakening of Maa.

Devotees will engage actively in Maa’s awakening through an interactive experience. This experience underscores the broader idea that our personal energy can evolve into her Shakti, and when we act together, we can bring about meaningful change.

The campaign will gain momentum leading up to Puja by engaging the community actively, bringing its message of sustainable celebration directly to people throughout Kolkata.

The initiative will encompass 15 RWA/ Apartment engagements, 15 College activations, and 15 Green Canter/ Para engagements.

Actress Swastika Dutta, who is part of the initiative, has shared her enthusiasm about participating in BIG Green Durga and using her voice to support its sustainability message.

At the end of the campaign, visitors will encounter the Shashya-er Shakti Maa Durga idol as an open-air installation in the City Centre 1 Kund area, set against the visual expressions and atmospheric charm of Bengal’s paddy fields. The installation will unite three key aspects of the Puja experience- tradition, sustainability, and collective participation to foster a celebration in which devotion transforms into a shared act of responsibility.

Priyanka Dutta