Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad Hosts India’s Grand Dussehra Celebration, Welcomes ‘Ramayana’ Team to Kolkata’s Festive Spectacle

Bringing together the devotion of Durga Puja, the spirit of Dussehra and the timeless triumph of good over evil, Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad’s grand celebrations at Central Park, Salt Lake, culminated in a spectacular Ravan Dahan on 20 October. Supported by Shyam Steel, Macaw Paints and Lux Cozi. The celebrations brought the city together for one of India’s grandest Dussehra gatherings, with the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari and the team of the upcoming film Ramayana adding to the occasion.
Held around the theme “Ram Ki Ayodhya”, the festivities brought Durga Puja and the Sansad’s annual Dussehra celebrations together in a grand, unified experience for the first time. The celebrations featured the presence of Mr. Ranbir Kapoor, Mr. Yash, Mr. Ravie Dubey and Producer Mr. Namit Malhotra from the Ramayana team, connecting the epic’s enduring cultural legacy with its upcoming cinematic interpretation. The celebrations also brought together prominent industrialists and business leaders, including Shri Lalit Beriwala, Trust Board Chairman, Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad, Shri Ravi Beriwala and Shri Purshottam Beriwala, who also serve as Directors of Shyam Steel; Shri Akash Todi (Lux Cozi), Shri Sajjan Bhajanka (Century Ply), Shri Ram Kishan Goyal (SMTC Steel), Shri Binay Dubey (BD Group), Shri Sunil Agarwal and Shri Amit Agarwal (Eskag Pharma), Shri Bhagwati Jalan (Jekay Group), Shri Bidyanath Chowdhuri and Shri Dilip Chowdhuri (Anmol Industries), Shri B.P. Sultania (A-First), Shri Sajan Bansal (Skipper), Shri Navin Saraf (Q Industrial Park), Shri Ramesh Saraf (e-went), Shri Subhash Murarka and Shri Gopal Saraf (Doctor’s Choice); Shri Sanjay Agarwal (member of Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad).
The six-day celebration, inaugurated on 15 October in the presence of Shri Ravindra Narayan Ravi, Honorable Governor of West Bengal, as the chief guest, along with Shri Shamik Bhattacharya, BJP West Bengal President and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). The inauguration also welcomed Shri Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of Parliament; Shri Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, Minister of Parliament; Shri Kartik Maharaj and Shri Daitapati Bhawani Prasad Das Maharaj Ji. The festivities brought together a series of cultural programmes and attractions. A larger-than-life Shri Ram idol, an elaborate festive setting, a grand drone show and the spectacular burning of a 70-foot Ravan formed the highlights, culminating in a memorable Dussehra evening. With the footfall of over 70 lakh visitors across the festivities (15th-20th), the gathering reinforced Central Park’s place among the country’s most significant festive destinations.
Shri Lalit Beriwala, Trust Board Chairman, Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad, and Director of Shyam Steel and Macaw Paints, said, “Our vision has always been to create celebrations that bring people together through the richness of India’s cultural traditions. This year, by bringing Durga Puja and Dussehra together on such a grand scale, we wanted to create an experience that honors the devotion to Maa Durga, celebrates the ideals of Shri Ram and offers families a shared cultural moment. The overwhelming scale of participation and the presence of the ‘Ramayana’ team make this year’s celebration particularly meaningful for us.”
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Namit Malhotra, Producer of Ramayana, said, “Ramayana is a story that belongs to generations of Indians and continues to inspire audiences through its timeless values. It is wonderful to see this cultural legacy being celebrated with such devotion and enthusiasm in Kolkata. Being part of a gathering that brings together tradition, community and storytelling is a meaningful experience, and a reminder of the enduring place these stories hold in our collective consciousness.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari welcomed Ramayana actors Ranbir Kapoor and Yash attended the Dussehra celebrations at Central Park in Kolkata. He has also mentioned the upcoming film Ramayana would be made tax-free in the state. “The Ramayana film has been made tax-free. The Kerala Story, The Kashmir Files, and The Bengal Files – all of these will be (or have been) made tax-free, and the same will apply to Ramayana,” he said. The Chief Minister also spoke about upcoming films based on Indian mythology, saying that audiences would see films on Lord Krishna, Arjuna and the Mahabharata in the coming days.
The scale of this year’s celebrations reflected the Sansad’s longstanding commitment to creating a shared cultural experience for the city. By bringing Durga Puja and Ravan Dahan together, the event offered visitors an opportunity to experience the devotion associated with Maa Durga alongside the enduring message of Shri Ram’s victory over evil.
For Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad, the occasion marked a significant moment in its 14-year tradition of hosting Dussehra celebrations at Central Park. By bringing Durga Puja and Ravan Dahan together, the organisation created a larger platform for collective celebration, cultural expression and community participation, with the presence of the Ramayana team adding a distinctive dimension to this year’s festivities.
With its blend of devotion, spectacle and storytelling, Salt Lake Sanskritik Sansad’s grand celebration brought two defining festive traditions together in one setting. Supported by Shyam Steel and Macaw Paints, the event concluded with the powerful symbolism of Ravan Dahan, reaffirming the enduring message of the victory of good over evil and leaving Kolkata with a memorable celebration of faith, unity and India’s living cultural heritage.