KOLKATA: Bengal’s Durga Puja economy could well have touched the Rs 50,000-crore mark this year with puja organisers, advertisers, retailers and restaurants registering a 20% hike in businesses over 2022. Kolkata is expected to account for around 20% of the pie at Rs 10,000 crore.
Last year, total transactions were estimated to be around Rs 40,000 crore, up from Rs 32,377 crore in 2019.The 2019 figure was quoted by a study conducted jointly by the British Council, IIT Kharagpur and Queen Mary University of London and commissioned by the state government. The economy had nosedived in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Forum for Durgotsav secretary Saswat Basu said puja organisers had spent 20% more than last year as they tried to meet the additional hype created around the festival after Kolkata’s Durga Puja found a place on Unesco’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.
“With the pandemic behind us and Durga Puja receiving the cultural heritage tag, we knew the turnout would be higher than before. So, we went all out to showcase the mega event. Corporate houses also spotted an opportunity to grab more eyeballs, leading to more sponsorships andadvertising revenue,” he said.
Of the 3,000-odd community pujas in Kolkata, around 10 have an average budget of over Rs 50 lakh; 70 pujas spend Rs 25-50 lakh each; 100 pujas spend around Rs 20 lakh each; and the rest about Rs 5-10lakh each. Puja committees said corporate ads had increased by 25% over last year, giving them the leeway to increase their budgets.
The higher spending was rewarded by record footfall at all pandals. Though an exact count was difficult, the organisers said the turnout was nearly 50% more than last year. “Pandal-hopping began early — on Mahalaya —-as many threw open the gates on the day,” said Basu.
Last year, total transactions were estimated to be around Rs 40,000 crore, up from Rs 32,377 crore in 2019.The 2019 figure was quoted by a study conducted jointly by the British Council, IIT Kharagpur and Queen Mary University of London and commissioned by the state government. The economy had nosedived in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Forum for Durgotsav secretary Saswat Basu said puja organisers had spent 20% more than last year as they tried to meet the additional hype created around the festival after Kolkata’s Durga Puja found a place on Unesco’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.
“With the pandemic behind us and Durga Puja receiving the cultural heritage tag, we knew the turnout would be higher than before. So, we went all out to showcase the mega event. Corporate houses also spotted an opportunity to grab more eyeballs, leading to more sponsorships andadvertising revenue,” he said.
Of the 3,000-odd community pujas in Kolkata, around 10 have an average budget of over Rs 50 lakh; 70 pujas spend Rs 25-50 lakh each; 100 pujas spend around Rs 20 lakh each; and the rest about Rs 5-10lakh each. Puja committees said corporate ads had increased by 25% over last year, giving them the leeway to increase their budgets.
The higher spending was rewarded by record footfall at all pandals. Though an exact count was difficult, the organisers said the turnout was nearly 50% more than last year. “Pandal-hopping began early — on Mahalaya —-as many threw open the gates on the day,” said Basu.
