This Durga Puja, what starts out as a tool for writing will become something else entirely. Pentonic is showcasing a Durga idol at Tridhara Sammilani in Kolkata, which was fashioned using over 13,000 Pentonic pens and 13,000 recycled plastic refills. Renowned artist Mr. Chandra Nath Saha (Tilak) designed and produced the expansive installation, which is roughly 5.5 feet tall, 4.5 feet wide, and 3 feet deep.

The piece incorporates a common writing tool into the visual language of Bengal’s most popular celebration. A dramatic contrast between a commonplace item and a timeless cultural emblem is created when thousands of discarded pens are used to create a single sculptural image of Maa Durga.

The installation does not take the place of the customary pratima; rather, it is a devoted piece of art placed next to Tridhara Sammilani’s primary Durga Puja idol. The Pentonic creation will stay out of the immersion procedure, but the primary idol will still adhere to the traditional immersion protocol. The pen installation will be disassembled individually at the end of Puja, and the materials will be recycled into new pens. The method provides a concrete illustration of how a product manufactured from recycled plastic can last beyond a single use or occasion.

Pentonic’s initiative is based on the idea that design can affect people’s perceptions of the materials around them in addition to appearance and functionality. The exhibit puts that concept in one of Kolkata’s most potent public and cultural spaces by turning thousands of writing implements into an artwork.

The task for artist Mr. Chandra Nath Saha (Tilak) was to translate Maa Durga’s presence and form into an unusual medium while keeping the subject’s emotional resonance and visual personality.

The installation has a prominent public location during the festival thanks to the selection of Tridhara Sammilani. The piece will be shown alongside the traditional Puja setting, giving visitors a chance to see a Durga interpretation that combines product design, progressive art, and the material possibilities of recycled plastic.

In its most basic form, the installation challenges viewers to reevaluate the items they use on a daily basis. In isolation, a pen could be tiny and unremarkable, but thousands of them might add up to something enormous. Additionally, once the artwork has fulfilled its purpose, its component parts don’t have to be thrown away; instead, they can start a new journey as a new product.

Priyanka Dutta