Linc Ltd’s Pentonic brand has unveiled a 5.5-foot Durga installation made from approximately 13,000 pens and an equal number of refills using recycled plastic material at Kolkata’s Tridhara Sammilani, showcasing an unconventional approach to sustainable product design during Durga Puja.
Conceived and created by artist Chandra Nath Saha, popularly known as Tilak, the installation transforms everyday writing instruments into a large-scale artwork inspired by Maa Durga, one of the most revered deities in Bengal’s biggest annual festival.
Measuring approximately 5.5 feet in height, 4.5 feet in width and 3 feet in depth, the artwork will be positioned alongside the main Durga Puja idol at the venue. It will serve as a separate artistic installation rather than replacing the traditional pratima.
The project seeks to highlight how recycled materials can be repurposed creatively and subsequently returned to the production cycle, reducing the likelihood of them becoming waste.
From writing instruments to an artistic statement
The installation brings together thousands of individual pens to create a sculptural representation of Maa Durga, combining product design, contemporary art and cultural expression.
For Pentonic, the writing instrument brand from Linc Ltd, the project reflects the belief that design can influence how people perceive everyday objects and the materials used to manufacture them.
Linc Ltd Managing Director Deepak Jalan said the company wanted to encourage people to look at an everyday object such as a pen from a different perspective.
Bringing 13,000 Pentonic pens made from recycled plastic together to create the Durga artwork demonstrated the possibilities of design, he said.
Jalan added that the project’s significance extended beyond the scale of the installation to the journey of the material, from a writing instrument to a work of art and eventually back into a new product.
He said presenting the installation during Durga Puja in Kolkata made the initiative particularly meaningful, given the city’s ability to embrace contemporary artistic expression while remaining connected to tradition.
Recycling planned after the festival
A key feature of the project is the plan to recycle the materials after the festival.
Unlike the main Durga idol, which will follow the customary immersion ritual, the Pentonic installation will remain outside the immersion process. After the Puja concludes, the artwork will be dismantled separately, and its materials will be recycled into new pens, according to the company.
This approach is intended to demonstrate how materials made from recycled plastic can be used beyond a single product lifecycle or occasion.
The initiative also brings attention to the potential of recycling-led product design, in which materials are reused rather than discarded after their initial purpose has been served.
By incorporating this concept into a public artwork, Pentonic is seeking to connect sustainability with an accessible cultural experience.
Artist reimagines Maa Durga through recycled materials
For artist Chandra Nath Saha, the challenge was to translate the form and presence of Maa Durga into an unconventional material while retaining the visual appeal and emotional resonance of the subject.
Saha said assembling thousands of familiar writing instruments changed their individual identities and allowed a larger sculptural image to emerge.
The material itself influenced his creative approach, he said, adding that he wanted visitors to appreciate the installation as an artwork before discovering what it was made from.
The project illustrates how ordinary manufactured objects can acquire a different artistic significance when brought together through an unconventional design process.
A sustainability message during Kolkata’s biggest festival
The choice of Tridhara Sammilani provides the installation with a prominent public setting during Durga Puja, when Kolkata attracts large numbers of visitors to its elaborate pandals and artistic displays.
Positioned alongside the traditional idol, the Pentonic artwork offers visitors an alternative interpretation of Durga through the use of recycled materials.
The installation also creates an opportunity to introduce sustainability into a cultural setting without displacing established religious practices.
For Linc Ltd, the project combines brand visibility with an environmental message, encouraging consumers to reconsider the lifecycle of products they use every day.
The company’s broader portfolio includes ball pens, gel pens and other stationery products, with a presence in more than 60 countries.
The initiative’s central idea is that materials need not become waste after their first use. Through creative design, recycling and reuse, they can acquire new forms and serve another purpose.