Pentonic creates a Durga idol with 13,000 recycled plastic pens

At Tridhara Sammilani, Kolkata, Pentonic, the writing instrument brand from Linc Limited, is presenting a Durga idol created from approximately 13,000 Pentonic pens and 13,000 refills made with recycled plastic material. Measuring approximately 5.5 ft in height, 4.5 ft in width and 3 ft in depth, the large-scale installation has been conceived and created by renowned artist Chandra Nath Saha (Tilak). 

The work brings an everyday writing instrument into the visual language of Bengal’s most celebrated festival. Thousands of individual recycled pens come together to form a single sculptural representation of Maa Durga, creating an arresting juxtaposition between a familiar object and an enduring cultural symbol. 

The installation is a dedicated artwork positioned alongside Tridhara Sammilani’s main Durga Puja idol and does not replace the traditional pratima. The principal idol will continue to follow the customary immersion ritual, while the Pentonic creation will remain outside the immersion process. At the conclusion of Puja, the pen installation will be dismantled separately, with the materials being recycled into new pens. The approach offers a tangible demonstration that a product made from recycled plastic can have a continued life beyond a single use or occasion. 

For Pentonic, the project stems from a belief that design is not limited to appearance or function; it can also influence how people perceive the materials that surround them. By transforming thousands of writing instruments into an artwork, the installation places that idea within one of Kolkata’s most powerful public and cultural settings. 

For artist Chandra Nath Saha (Tilak)., the project involved translating the form and presence of Maa Durga into an unconventional material while retaining the visual character and emotional resonance of the subject. 

Chandra Nath Saha (Tilak), Artist, said, “The interesting part of this work was taking something as familiar and functional as a pen and asking what else it could become. When thousands of them are assembled together, their individual identity changes and a larger image begins to emerge. The material dictated a very different way of approaching the sculpture, and that became an important part of the creative process. I wanted the finished work to hold attention first as an artwork, and then make people curious about what it is actually made from.” 

Deepak Jalan, Managing Director, Linc Limited, said, “We wanted to take something as familiar as a pen and give people a reason to see it differently. Bringing 13,000 Pentonic pens made from recycled plastic together to create Durga is a powerful expression of what design can make possible. For us, the significance lies not simply in the scale of the installation, but in the journey of the material, from a writing instrument to a work of art, and back into a new product. To bring this idea to life during Durga Puja, in the heart of Kolkata, makes it even more meaningful. The city has a remarkable ability to embrace contemporary expression without losing its connection with tradition, and this installation is our way of being part of that conversation.”