KISHOREGANJ — Lights, joy and the beat of drums fill the air at the Pragati Sangha Shyama Puja pandal in the Battrish area of Kishoreganj city. The first impression on entering is of a colorful world of celebration. But a few steps in, visitors see smoke-covered faces, a child crying amid ruins and people searching for missing parents. The images arranged throughout the pandal blend together to evoke the scenes of war-torn Gaza.
Even within the joy of the puja, the photographs of war-stricken children seem to make humanity shudder.
Now in its 72nd year, the Pragati Sangha pandal has been built around the theme “Duhkhrupang,” or the form of sorrow. The lights of the puja have brought to life the deepest pain of the world and a humanitarian call: not war, but peace. More than 200 photos hung around the pandal depict childhoods lost in the rubble of Gaza.
The Kali idol is surrounded by images of children wounded in the Gaza war. The pandal is decorated with a play of light and shadow, yet there is an unusual silence around it.
Visitors said the photographs of Gaza’s emaciated children at the festival serve as a repeated reminder of the world’s deepest sorrow. The pandal has become a voice of protest and a classroom of humanity. The Shyama Puja runs from Monday through Wednesday night.
Saikat Majumder, one of the organizers, said, “We want people to think about humanity even amid the joy of Shyama Puja. We wanted to say that joy is complete only when it carries a touch of humanity.”
Visitors to the puja said: “From far away we only hear about war as a game. But these photos prove how cruel it really is. We do not want war, we want peace. We thank the organizers.”
Rabin Saha, president of the Pragati Sangha puja organizing committee, explained the reason for the display. “These children are not just from Gaza; they are symbols of humanity. We wanted to show how a nation and a country fall victim to brutality. Our hope is that, seeing the images of Gaza’s children crying out, people will keep their own harmony and love alive,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report