Bengal Durga Puja business booms for big organisers, smaller committees lag

West Bengal's Durga Puja commercial landscape was marked by uneven gains this year, with large puja organisers, malls, organised retailers and e-commerce platforms reporting brisk business, while smaller puja committees, traditional markets and hawkers struggled to keep pace.

While government data showed 13,000 more pujas being organised this year than last, the divide between big-budget celebrations and smaller community pujas remained stark.

Large and traditionally popular puja organisers reported fully booked outdoor advertising slots, with rates rising by at least 20 per cent amid the growing use of LED displays.

Smaller committees, however, faced weaker advertising demand, with some outdoor advertising slots remaining vacant.

Kajol Sarkar, an office-bearer of the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella body representing over 550 community Durga Puja committees in Kolkata, Howrah and their suburbs, said advertisers were concentrating on specific routes rather than spreading their ...