DURGA PUJA PREVIEW ROW DEEPENS AS ORGANISERS QUESTION MASSART’S REVENUE-SHARING MODEL

November 1, 2026

Several Kolkata Durga Puja organisers have described the commission they received from massArt’s ticketed preview shows as inadequate, questioning the financial arrangements behind an initiative that brought selected pandals into organised pre-festival viewing programmes.

According to organisers quoted in the report, participating committees received between ₹18,000 and ₹22,000 from ticket sales during 2023 and 2024. They said they were not informed about the total number of tickets sold, with payments transferred directly to the organisers’ bank accounts. The preview event was invitation-based in 2022, when the initiative was first introduced, while no tickets were sold last year.

Organisers maintained that the more substantial financial benefit came from advertisements displayed on LED boards installed at the pandals. These arrangements reportedly generated approximately ₹1.5 lakh for participating committees. Inclusion among the 24 selected pujas also enhanced their visibility and helped them attract advertising from agencies and commercial sponsors.

The financial arrangements have come under scrutiny amid a police investigation into allegations of cheating and forgery involving massArt, headed by Madhuchhanda Sen, wife of former minister Indranil Sen. Investigators are examining allegations concerning the sale of Durga Puja preview passes carrying UNESCO’s name and logo, as well as the movement of money collected through the events.

During a court hearing, the prosecution alleged that massArt’s 2025 agreement with UNESCO prohibited commercial or financial use of its logo. It further claimed that ticket collections had continued since 2022 and that funds deposited in accounts associated with the organisation were transferred elsewhere. These allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.

The controversy has placed the commercial arrangements surrounding Kolkata’s Durga Puja preview events under renewed examination, raising questions about transparency, revenue distribution and the relationship between cultural promotion and private commercial activity.