Ek Pukur Bhalobasha: Where a Pond Holds the Memory of an Entire Neighbourhood
Every Durga Puja leaves behind a memory. Some remain through grandeur, some through spectacle, and a few stay with us because they remind us of who we once were.
For Sharodotsav 2026, Telipukur Yuba Sangha and Nursery Bagan invite visitors into one such memory with their theme — “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha” (এক পুকুর ভালোবাসা).
At first glance, it sounds simple.
A pond.
A neighbourhood.
A shared life.
But in Bengal, a pond was never merely water.
It was where children learned to swim on long summer afternoons. It was where women gathered with stories and laughter. It was where fishermen cast their nets before sunrise and where elders sat quietly watching the changing sky. Festivals, rituals, friendships, and everyday conversations often began and ended by the water’s edge.
A pond was not a place.
It was a relationship.
And perhaps that relationship is slowly disappearing.
The Story Behind “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha”
There was a time when every para and every village in Bengal grew around a pond.
The pond fed the land, connected neighbours, and quietly stitched together the rhythms of everyday life. It taught people the meaning of coexistence — between humans and nature, between one family and another, between generations separated by time but connected by memory.
Today many of those ponds have vanished beneath concrete and glass.
But memories refuse to disappear so easily.
Through “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha”, Telipukur Yuba Sangha attempts to preserve those memories before they fade completely. The theme asks visitors to remember a Bengal where community was stronger, conversations were longer, and nature was never separate from everyday life.
Artist Bhabatosh Sutar’s Vision
The artistic vision behind the project comes from celebrated theme artist Bhabatosh Sutar, known for transforming social emotions into immersive experiences.
His work often goes beyond visual beauty to explore the relationship between people, memory, culture, and environment.
With “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha”, the pond becomes more than a backdrop.
It becomes a storyteller.
A witness to generations.
A keeper of forgotten afternoons.
And perhaps, a reminder of what modern cities are slowly losing.
More Than A Theme, A Question
In an age where apartment doors remain closed and neighbours know each other only by nameplates, “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha” asks a quiet question:
Can a neighbourhood still feel like family?
The answer may lie beside a pond.
Why This Puja Could Become One Of 2026’s Most Emotional Destinations
While many themes compete for scale and spectacle, Telipukur Yuba Sangha chooses intimacy.
Instead of impressing visitors with size, it hopes to touch them with memory.
Because everyone has a pond somewhere in their story.
A pond they visited as a child.
A pond they crossed on the way to school.
A pond they haven’t thought about in years.
And perhaps that is what makes “Ek Pukur Bhalobasha” special.
It is not asking visitors to see something new.
It is asking them to remember something they had forgotten.
