Kolkata’s bridges, road junctions and public spaces are receiving colourful alpona designs ahead of Durga Puja, with the Bengal government extending its festive beautification drive across prominent parts of the city.
Gariahat bridge has been painted in shades of pink, orange and yellow, while large traditional Bengali alpona motifs have appeared beneath the Park Circus connector and at major intersections including Garia More, PTI reported. The work is intended to give key public spaces a festive appearance before the celebrations.
Inspecting the work at Gariahat bridge, Bengal urban development minister Agnimitra Paul described the initiative as a symbol of social trust and cooperation. “This represents the road of brotherhood, the road of love and the road of trust,” she said, according to the report.
Paul said artists from minority communities were working alongside Hindu artists on the designs, particularly at Park Circus. She presented the collaboration as an example of communal harmony and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas”.
The Park Circus location carries additional political and civic symbolism in the minister’s account. Paul referred to earlier incidents in the area in which anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, fires were set, and police personnel and vehicles were attacked. She said the creation of large alpona designs there by artists from different communities represented a gesture of trust.
The beautification work is also being carried out along Red Road and at ghats on the Hooghly river, Paul said. If time permits, the government will extend the decoration to the Rashbehari and Park Street crossings, she added.
Alpona is a traditional Bengali decorative art made with ritual and festive motifs. It is commonly associated with auspicious occasions, but its use on bridges, traffic junctions and other shared urban spaces places the artwork directly within Kolkata’s everyday public realm.
The locations selected for the drive are among the city’s most visible movement corridors and gathering points. Bridges and junctions normally function as transport infrastructure, while the Hooghly ghats serve as public and cultural spaces. The programme therefore combines festival decoration with a citywide visual-improvement exercise across transport nodes and riverfront areas.
The minister’s inspection and comments indicate that the programme is being presented not only as seasonal decoration but also as a public message about cooperation between communities. The next locations to be covered will depend on the time available before Durga Puja, with Rashbehari and Park Street identified as possible additions.
