Samaj Sebi
Samaj Sebi
Where a nation's brightest minds began a puja
"Where a nation's brightest minds began a puja"
The founding of Samaj Sebi Sangha is a story that reads like a chapter from Bengal's intellectual history. In the chaotic years of 1946–47, as the Partition of India approached and riot-displaced refugees began settling in the Lake Area of South Kolkata, a gro…
History & Legacy
When these luminaries learned that local youths were already doing relief work in the neighbourhood, they channelled their collective influence to formalise the effort. Leela Roy herself proposed the Durga Puja as both celebration and fund-raiser for the community, and the 'Samaj…
✦ Did You Know?
Samaj Sebi's founding circle included some of the most distinguished figures in 20th-century Bengal — making i…
The 2025 'Pather Panchali' pandal recreated scenes from Satyajit Ray's 1955 masterpiece — including the iconic…
The committee runs one of South Kolkata's longest-running free health camps, operating through the puja days a…
Sarat Chandra Bose, one of the founders, was the elder brother of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose — lending the puj…
The name 'Samaj Sebi' (servant of society) was chosen deliberately as an anti-elitist declaration — this puja …
🗺 Why Visit
Samaj Sebi is not just a pandal — it is a living institution. The themes here carry genuine intellectual weight, researched and executed with a seriousness that reflects the puja's extraordinary founding lineage. The Lake Area set…