Kolkata artist crafts Goddess Durga sculpture from 13,000 recycled plastic pens
Chandra Nath Saha transforms a sea of discarded pens into a towering homage to the goddess Durga, a 5.5‑foot‑tall sculpture that dominated the courtyard of Tridhara Sammilani during this year’s Durga Puja. Roughly 13,000 Pentonic pens and refills, all reclaimed from plastic waste, are painstakingly arranged to form the deity’s iconic silhouette, turning an everyday writing tool into a striking visual statement.
The installation sits beside the festival’s traditional idol, yet it is deliberately treated as a separate artwork. While the main idol follows the customary immersion ritual, the pen sculpture remains untouched, its fate set for dismantling and full material recycling after the celebrations. This duality underscores a dialogue between age‑old ritual and modern environmental consciousness.
Saha describes the process as a challenge of scale and perception: each familiar pen must surrender its individual identity to serve a larger image. The result invites viewers first to admire the form of the goddess, then to discover the surprising medium that composes it, prompting a fresh look at the objects that surround us.
Beyond its visual impact, the piece demonstrates how contemporary art can embed sustainable practices within cultural festivities. By giving plastic pens a second life—only to be reclaimed once more—the sculpture bridges tradition, innovation, and a circular approach to material use.