A Para is more than just a neighborhood in West Bengal. It is the place where generations grow up together, friendships are made, festivals are observed, and adda comes to life. Each Para is unique, with its own rhythm, personality, and tales. Birla Opus Paints announced the start of Praner Para, a community-led project that will use color to capture the essence of Bengal’s neighborhoods in honor of this deeply ingrained cultural fabric.

The initiative’s central idea is straightforward: as each Para has a unique personality, shouldn’t it also have its own mural?

Birla Opus Paints is using Praner Para to encourage people in West Bengal to tell what makes their para special and to nominate their para at www.birlaopuspranerpara.com. Fifteen paras, ranging from Kolkata and Asansol to Siliguri and Bardhaman, will be chosen according to the narratives, customs, people, sites, and cultural features that characterize them. After that, these communities will collaborate with Birla Opus Paints to use custom murals made especially for each Para to bring their stories to life.

Birla Opus Paints provides a forum for Paras to identify their identity and bring it to life through color with Praner Para, a celebration of the distinct cultures and tales that are a reflection of every West Bengal para. Each Para has a narrative, and each narrative is worthy of a color.

Priyanka Dutta