National Award-winning Ramnami puts spotlight on community behind Chaltabagans Nishan theme
Kolkata: The Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja Committee has welcomed the National Film Award for Ramnami, which was named Best Hindi Documentary at the 72nd National Film Awards.
When the Body Becomes a Temple: The Ramnami Samaj's Century-Old Rebellion Now Inspires Kolkata's Durga Puja
Denied entry into temples, they did not argue — they carried Ram on their skin instead. TWF-IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh traces how Chhattisgarh's Ramnami Samaj, a Dalit devotional community that began tattooing the name of Ram across their bodies in the 1890s as a quiet act of resistance against caste exclusion, has travelled from the margins of religious history to the heart of this year's Durga Puja — where their extraordinary story of faith, identity and defiance is the centrepiece in Chaltabagan, one of North Kolkata's most celebrated pandals.
From Ramnami tattoos to a global app: Chaltabagan's 'Nishan' takes Durga Puja beyond Kolkata
Kolkata: They came from Chhattisgarh with the name of Ram tattooed across every inch of their bodies—elders of the Ramnami Samaj, a devotional community who began inscribing themselves in the 1890s as a quiet act of protest against temple exclusion.
Top Headlines
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Art and Culture
National Award-winning Ramnami puts spotlight on community behind Chaltabagans Nishan theme
September 24, 2026
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Art and Culture
When the Body Becomes a Temple: The Ramnami Samaj's Century-Old Rebellion Now Inspires Kolkata's Durga Puja
September 03, 2026
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Art and Culture
From Ramnami tattoos to a global app: Chaltabagan's 'Nishan' takes Durga Puja beyond Kolkata
September 01, 2026