One of the city’s oldest family houses is preparing to welcome Ma Durga once more as Durga Puja approaches. Through the third edition of JSW Dulux‘s Let’s Color program, Kundu Bari, a nearly 250-year-old Badi still owned by the original family, has been revitalized so future generations can celebrate Pujo in a home as colorful as their memories.

Pujo has always meant returning home to the Kundu family. One of the few legacy Badis in Kolkata that are still owned by the original family’s descendants is Kundu Bari, a vibrant cultural area where Durga Puja customs are carried out by successive generations. Beyond its architecture, the Badi evokes memories of family get-togethers, childhood festivities, and the annual customs that bring everyone home. As the holiday season draws near, “Let’s Color” aims to restore the home’s aesthetic appeal as well as the coziness and personality of a place that is closely associated with the family’s cultural identity.

As time went on, the Badi’s walls, courtyards, and Thakur Dalan—a traditional courtyard shrine where the family welcomes the Durga idol—all started to exhibit signs of aging. The Badi now has a deep, glossy surface in time for Pujo thanks to the restoration, which used Dulux Dustproof Hi-Sheen Premium Acrylic Exterior Emulsion. Anti-fungal and anti-algal qualities prevent growth in Kolkata’s humid climate, 5 Degree Sun Reflect keeps the walls cooler, and Dustshield Technology keeps surfaces cleaner despite the festive foot traffic. Intricate Alpana artwork, a unique representation of Bengal’s artistic legacy that enhances the genuine essence of the traditional Bengali Badi, is also incorporated into the restoration.

The campaign tracks the Badi from its diminished pre-restoration form to its revitalized Pujo avatar. It depicts how color has revitalized the home and brought back memories of childhood Pujo celebrations through personal interviews with the Kundu family. Its core idea is that, even though a house may inherently display its age, color can evoke the feelings and memories connected to it. This concept is brought to life by the renovated Thakur Dalan, which welcomes the Durga idol and the family’s generations, honoring the enduring bond between home, heritage, and tradition.

JSW Dulux continues to show through Let’s Color that color has the ability to transcend surfaces, revitalize significant areas, maintain their unique character, and deepen people’s relationships to the locations, memories, and communities they call home.

Priyanka Dutta