His ancestor began Durga Puja in Kolkata, he’s now documented its history

I began working on the illustrations some seven years ago, says descendant of Naba Krishna Deb

Last weekend saw the publication of 50 illustrations by Kolkata artist Prabir Krishna Deb who, through those works of art, has sought to tell the story of the Durga Puja that’s held at his ancestral home.

If you wonder what’s so extraordinary about his effort — considering that the city is home to a few thousand such celebrations, including those held by once-aristocratic families — it was his ancestor who began the festival of Durga Puja, making it a public event, in the newly founded British city of Calcutta back in the eighteenth century.