Kolkata’s Durga Puja committees are reporting a sharp slowdown in advertising and sponsorship bookings, with some organisers saying up to 70 per cent of stalls remain without sponsors and several advertising gates are still empty ahead of the festival.
Organisers of large, medium-sized and small pujas have expressed concern that they may not be able to meet festival expenses if sponsorships are not finalised soon. In some cases, bamboo structures erected for advertisements may have to be dismantled if bookings do not materialise. A few prominent pujas have also failed to attract customary sponsors, including companies that have previously supported idol jewellery displays.
The slowdown was initially linked to uncertainty over whether the new government would continue municipal tax concessions and other benefits for puja organisers. Organisers had been concerned that the withdrawal of concessions would increase costs for advertisers and reduce their willingness to participate.
At a coordination meeting with puja organisers on September 7, Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari announced that the existing municipal tax concessions would continue. Organisers, however, say that sponsorship activity has not increased substantially in the week since that announcement.
Shashwat Basu, an organiser of Hatibagan Sarbojanin, said that arrangements which were usually completed by this stage remained pending this year. He said advertising agency representatives were visiting, but no major deals had been finalised.
Abhishek Bhattacharya, an organiser of Tala Barowari, said the final outcome would depend on whether the negative publicity surrounding Durga Puja in recent months affected the festival market. Organisers have cited uncertainty over which groups would conduct pujas and changes in local management as factors affecting established sponsor networks.
Some organisers said that several pujas were being held during a period of transition, with new people replacing previous office-bearers in a number of locations. They argued that older organisers’ business contacts were not always being transferred to the new teams, disrupting relationships with sponsors.
Anjan Ukil, secretary of the Forum for Durgotsav and an organiser of Ballygunge Cultural Association, said the response had improved after the chief minister’s meeting but that major decisions were unlikely before Ganesh Chaturthi. According to him, advertising for large companies is often finalised from Mumbai, and approvals typically come after the Ganesh festival.
The advertising slowdown is also affecting newly introduced pujas in central Kolkata. Allen Park near Park Street is hosting a Durga Puja for the first time this year, while a first puja is also planned in the Bow Barracks area. A company that secured the municipal tender for installing advertisements along Camac Street, Park Street and Shakespeare Sarani has separately been assigned responsibility for arranging advertising at Allen Park.
A senior official of that company said the assignment had come with clear instructions, but acknowledged that the condition of the puja advertising market made the outcome uncertain despite efforts to secure sponsors. Organisers are now awaiting the next round of corporate decisions after Ganesh Chaturthi before finalising their budgets and advertising arrangements.
