Kabul relived in light ’n sound

chandannagar: despite the distant rumblings of war in afghanistan, kolkata is gearing up for sharadotsav. to transform the city to a dazzling dreamworld during the puja days, artists are busy creating wonders with light. the riot of colours in lightwork not only lends splendour to the city but also reveals its sensitivity to the current events and social issues, both at home and abroad.quite predictably, the popular theme this year is the kamikaze attacks on theworld trade centre and the pentagon. artists like indrajit banerjee of howrah are even trying hard to depict the us airstrikes in kabul. banerjee is shooting a missile at an angle of 60 degree. after travelling for 150 feet, it is finally landing on top of a terrace. this is supposed to be the prelude to a light and sound show. gruesome incidents like killing of two howrah youths by terrorists on the way to amarnath or the murder of phoolan devi and, of course, the sensational kidnapping of khadim's chief will be relived in lights at puja pandals. but, would people like to be reminded of the grim and gory incidents during the festival? not really. we are not eager to show the disaster or killings. but, clients are so insistent that we have to give in, said subodh ghosh, a veteran artist of chandannagar, the hub of creativity in lightworks. mythology takes precedence at singhi park and mitali sangha in south kolkata. here, sridhar das will show durga and her family arrive at her father's home on her traditional modes of conveyance — hasti or elephant, ashwa or horse, nouka or boat and dola or palanquin. sanat chattejee was responsible for lighting up ekdalia evergreen last year. this year, too, he has bagged assignments for a few big-budget pujas. it is not the morbid adult world, but the children's cosmos will come into being during puja nights. chatterjee's lightworks show children engrossed in various activities — feeding birds, learning, riding merry-go-round etc. the evergreen story of gupi gayen, bagha bayen will also be depicted. at sreebhumi in lake town, babu biswas's work is based on children's rhymes — chand utechhe, ful futechhe. he hopes to show flowers blossom in light with moon beams streaming down. at ekdalia evergreen, chatterjee electric's lightworks will have jokers playing drums or strumming guitars. a series named shaishab will show a child's journey from the cradle. it starts with a mother caressing a child til when the baby grows up to become a pilot. at mudiali harisabha, suprim pal's lights will recreate spiderman, he-man, tarzan and phantom. he is also doing a series on the amimal planet with dolphin playing in the water, snake catching frog and crane preying on a fish. kolkata's every alice can hope to find their wonderland during the puja days.