Durga Puja in Kolkata is more than a festival, it’s an emotion, a carnival and a test of patience as thousands line up outside pandals every year. This year, organizers and Zomato District have come up with a bold new concept: the Durga Pujor Passport 2025, popularly referred to as the Puja Pass. It offers VIP-style entry to some of the city's most popular pandals, reducing long lines and allowing visitors to experience the work without hours of waiting time.
What the puja pass has to offer this year?
Zomato's district has introduced a new generation concept in which the pass provides access to more than 40 of the best pandals. The pandals are Tala Barowari, Kumartuli Park Sarbojanin, Hatibagan Sarbojanin, Shibmandir, Ballygunge Cultural Association, Naktala Udayan Sangha, Behala Club, Bosepukur Sitala Mandir and a lot more. The concept is to allow people to make the most of time for phuchka, prem and adda, rather than wasting hours in long queues.
The pass is for a five-day period and is valid for visitors who are five years and older and must be picked up in person from designated counters like Binodini Theatre or Badamtala Ashar Sangha between 22nd and 27th September. Organizers have, however, made it clear that refunds will not be permitted, parking facilities will not be available at venues and strict security arrangements will be made.
Is the convenience worth the cost?
Though the Puja Pass has created buzz, some Kolkatans worry it could commercialize the spontaneous culture of pandal hopping. For others, particularly families and elderly citizens, the convenience may prove priceless amid the chaos. An Instagram reel shows how visitors can book the Puja Pass from the comfort of their homes: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOh57MyATfZ/?igsh=NnYxY2Y2empscnJ6
As Kolkata prepares for its UNESCO-recognized carnival of creativity, the Puja Pass might redefine how pandal-hopping is experienced, either as a welcome convenience or a shift in the tradition’s essence.
