Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga Puja 2019

Author: British Council, The Smart Cube, Queen Mary University of London and IIT Kharagpur·16 Sep 2025

Topics

Financial Management

Legal and Policy

Reporting and Evaluation

In 2019, the Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, invited British Council to conduct, on their behalf, a mapping exercise to identify the economic worth of specific creative industries of West Bengal. The sectors in focus as part of the research are: installation art and decoration, idol-making, illumination, literature and publishing, advertising and sponsorship, films and entertainment, crafts and design and fashion. Two reports have been produced and complement each other. One is a quantitative report by The Smart Cube (custom research, advanced analytics and data insight agency), and the second is a qualitative report by Queen Mary University of London and IIT Kharagpur. The first report provides commentary on economic worth along with glimpse into cultural and commercial aspects each segment provides specific references about lives of artists, artisans and workers additionally, the study also ascertains the number of domestic and international visitors to the city of Kolkata during the festive season. The second report provides a perspective on the two-way system of backward and forward linkages across the creative economy of West Bengal.

Authors: British Council, The Smart Cube, Queen Mary University of London and IIT Kharagpur

Key Findings

Two reports have been produced and complement each other. One is a quantitative report by The Smart Cube, a custom research, advanced analytics and data insight agency. The other is a qualitative report by Queen Mary University of London and IIT Kharagpur. The first report provides commentary on economic worth along with a glimpse into cultural and commercial aspects. Each segment provides specific references about the lives of artists, artisans and workers. Additionally, the study also ascertains the number of domestic and international visitors to the city of Kolkata during the festive season. The second report provides a perspective on the two-way system of backward and forward linkages across the creative economy of West Bengal.

The total estimated economic worth of creative industries around Durga Puja is Rs 32,377 crore or GBP 3.29 billion (excluding sponsorships).
The total economic worth of Durga Puja, as per the finding of the report, was 2.58% of the GDP of West Bengal in fiscal year 2019-20.
Of these, retail (Rs 27,364 crore), F&B (Rs 2,854 crore) and installation, arts and decoration (Rs 860 crore) have the largest share.
The retail segment witnesses a 100% increase in month sales value in West Bengal, primarily driven by increase in purchasing power and elevated spending sentiment.
Consumer spend during the festive month is believed to be 30% higher than that of the previous month. The ‘Bhog prasad’ market – an industry that is created each year during the Puja – is estimated at Rs 19.9 crore.
Kolkata alone accounts for 15% share of pandal-making industry in West Bengal.
Registered pujas account for Rs 700 crore, while unregistered pujas account for Rs 160 crore.
The typical budget of a single Super Mega registered pandal in Kolkata is Rs 2.5 crore.
Other sectors with a large share in the Puja creative economy pie include advertisements (Rs 504 crore), sponsorships (Rs 318 crore), idol making (Rs 260-280 crore), literature and publishing (Rs 260-270 crore), and lighting and illumination (Rs 205 crore).