BIG FM’s award-winning festive IP, BIG Green Durga, returns this year with a renewed expression of sustainability, drawing inspiration from one of Bengal’s most fundamental symbols of life, nourishment and abundance — Shashya, or food grain.
Launched in 2022, BIG Green Durga has evolved each year by reimagining the traditional Durga idol through sustainable materials, technology and innovative ideas. From a paper-pulp Durga in its inaugural year, to jute, an idol crafted using discarded single-use plastic, and last year’s 3D holographic Durga, the initiative has consistently explored new possibilities of celebrating Maa Durga while remaining conscious of the environment.
In 2026, this journey takes a more organic and participatory turn with ‘Shashya – er Shakti’ — The Power of Food Grain, presented in association with Bhadreswar Group. A Maa Durga idol made with paddy grains will be the symbolism of the theme Shashya -er Shakti.
At the heart of this year’s initiative lies “Dhannyo Kalash” — a simple yet powerful invitation to the people of Kolkata to contribute one fistful of rice towards Maa’s Puja.
Through the BIG FM and Bhadreswar Group, the Dhannyo Kalash will travel across communities, RWAs and paras, before finally finding its place at the City Centre 1 Kund area during the five days of Puja. The initiative will encourage citizens to come forward and contribute rice towards a larger collective offering.
Bhadreswar Group will multiply the collected grain manifold, transforming this collective contribution into Maha Bhog, which will subsequently be distributed among orphanages and old age homes.
The collected rice will also become an integral part of an eco-conscious Dhannyo Kalash, envisioned through the natural visual and material language of rice, paddy and paddy straw. The installation seeks to celebrate Maa as the embodiment of nourishment, abundance and the power of Shashya.
CYCLE OF SHAKTI
Alongside Shashya – er Shakti, ‘Cycle of Shakti’ continues as an important experiential sub-theme of BIG Green Durga 2026.
The idea is rooted in the belief that Shakti grows when it is shared — creating a connection between human participation, collective energy and the awakening of Maa.
Through an interactive experience, devotees will become active participants in Maa’s awakening. The experience reinforces the larger message that our individual energy can become her Shakti, and our collective action can create positive change.
TAKING SUSTAINABILITY TO THE COMMUNITY
The campaign will build momentum in the run-up to Puja through a strong community engagement programme, taking the message of sustainable celebration directly to people across Kolkata.
The initiative will include:
• 15 RWA/Apartment engagements
• 15 College activations
• 15 Green Canter/Para engagements
Through these engagements, BIG FM and Bhadreswar Group will bring the philosophy of BIG Green Durga closer to communities, encouraging participation and making sustainability an active part of the festive experience.
THE CULMINATION
At the culmination of the campaign, visitors will experience Shashya-er Shakti Maa Durga idol as an open-air installation at the City Centre 1 Kund area, surrounded by the visual language and evocative ambience of Bengal’s paddy fields.
The installation will bring together three powerful dimensions of the Puja experience — tradition, sustainability and collective participation — creating a celebration where devotion becomes a shared act of responsibility.
With ‘Shashya – er Shakti’, BIG Green Durga once again seeks to demonstrate that sustainability need not exist separately from celebration. Instead, it can be woven into the very fabric of devotion — one fistful, one offering and one collective act at a time.
Speaking about the fifth season, Ashit Kukian, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, said, “Sustainability is not a responsibility that belongs to a few but it is a Shakti that lives within each one of us. BIG Green Durga is about turning that Shakti into action, taking the movement from awareness to every RWA, para, college and marketplace. When communities come together and make conscious choices every day, small actions become a powerful collective force for change. Let us use our Shakti to protect our planet, transform our communities and make sustainability a way of life.”
Actress Swastika Dutta, who is joining the initiative, has expressed her excitement about being a part of BIG Green Durga and lending her voice to its message of sustainability.
Speaking about her association with the initiative, she said she is happy and excited to be associated with the activity and strongly supports the green initiative. She will also help amplify the message of Bhadreswar Group and BIG FM’s BIG Green Durga, encouraging people to come together and embrace a more sustainable celebration.
