Kolkata: This Durga Puja, one of Bengal’s most intimate symbols of maternal care will take on a larger, collective form. Through ‘Jotner Aanchal’, Aashirvaad will invite Pujo-goers to come together and create an ever-growing red-and-white Aanchal, transforming a deeply personal emblem of comfort, protection and reassurance into a shared public tribute to Maa and mothers everywhere.
Rooted in the Bengali idea of jotno, or deeply felt care, ‘Jotner Aanchal’ draws from a symbol that has carried the emotion of nurturance across generations. A mother’s Aanchal is often associated with shelter, warmth and belonging. The initiative reimagines this familiar cultural expression as a living installation that will continue to grow through people’s participation during the Puja, ensuring that the tribute is not merely viewed but collectively created.
At the Jotner Aanchal Experience Zone at the Baghbazaar pandal, visitors will journey through Bengal’s textile traditions, storytelling and technology to explore how the Aanchal carries the spirit of nurturance through Maa Durga’s journey. At the heart of the experience is ‘The Nurturance Story’, an immersive showcase that uses animated textile art and projection mapping to trace this symbolism from idol-making to Bisarjan.
Visitors will unlock and print six distinct motifs onto sections of the saree, with each motif representing an everyday expression of nurturance. As every contribution joins the next, the individual motifs will come together to form one continuous Aanchal, turning thousands of personal gestures of care into a single community-created expression.
The experience was inaugurated by Bengali television actor Sandipta Sen, who interacted with visitors and explored the immersive installation.
Sharing her thoughts, Sandipta Sen said, “Maa’s Aanchal is one of the most powerful symbols of love, comfort and protection that we grow up with. Jotner Aanchal gives this familiar emotion a beautiful collective form. What makes it special is that every visitor can add an expression of care and become part of a larger tribute to Maa and mothers everywhere.”
Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Anuj Rustagi, Chief Executive, Staples Business Unit, Foods Division, ITC Ltd., said,“Nurturance is expressed through everyday acts that make families feel cared for, protected and supported. Through Jotner Aanchal, Aashirvaad is bringing people together around a symbol that is deeply rooted in Bengal’s cultural memory. By allowing every visitor to contribute to the Aanchal, the initiative transforms nurturance from a personal emotion into a shared community expression during Durga Puja.”
The growing Aanchal will carry the idea of nurturance beyond the Puja experience. Every visitor contribution will become part of a larger collective effort intended to support mothers, giving the installation a purpose beyond its cultural and visual expression. In doing so, ‘Jotner Aanchal’ will demonstrate how individual gestures of care can come together to create meaningful collective impact.
Pujo-goers can visit the Jotner Aanchal Experience Zone at the Baghbazaar pandal to become part of the growing tribute by unlocking the six motifs, contributing to the collective Aanchal and receiving a personalised digital keepsake. Extending the experience beyond Kolkata, similar experiential zones have also been set up across Durgapur, Burdwan, Mednipur and Siliguri, enabling more people across Bengal to add their own expressions of care to the ever-growing Jotner Aanchal.
