If you have a school-going child, a college timetable to plan around, or a government office errand pencilled in for next Tuesday, put a line through 22 September. The West Bengal government has declared the day a state holiday for Karam Puja, the harvest festival of the state’s Adivasi communities, and the decision has already had a knock-on effect on the Higher Secondary Semester III examination. The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) had scheduled all vocational papers for 22 September; those papers will now be held on 13 October. For Kolkata families this is the second calendar change in a week, coming right after the Vishwakarma Puja holiday was notified for Friday 18 September, so here is a clear rundown of what is closed, what has moved and what to check.
What the Karam Puja Holiday Notification Says
The Finance Department issued the notification on Wednesday 16 September declaring 22 September 2026 a State Government holiday on account of Karam Puja. The order covers state government offices, statutory bodies, boards, corporations, undertakings controlled by the state government, and educational institutions under state control. In practice that means government and government-aided schools, state universities and their affiliated colleges, and most state offices in Kolkata will stay closed on Tuesday.
Private schools, autonomous colleges and central institutions (such as central universities, IITs and Kendriya Vidyalayas) decide on their own, so a circular from your institution is the final word. Banks follow the RBI holiday list for West Bengal rather than state notifications, so do not assume your branch will be shut; check before you travel.
Why Karam Puja Matters
Karam Puja (also written Karma Puja) is one of the most important festivals for the Oraon, Munda, Santal, Ho and other Adivasi communities of eastern India. It falls on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Bhadra and centres on the Karam tree, a branch of which is planted in the courtyard or village square, worshipped through the night with songs and dance, and immersed the next morning. In West Bengal the festival is strongest in the Jangalmahal districts, the tea belt of North Bengal and parts of Purulia and Bankura, but Adivasi neighbourhoods in and around Kolkata, including pockets of Howrah, Hooghly and the northern suburbs, also mark the day. Jharkhand has treated it as a public holiday for years; a full state holiday in Bengal, rather than a sectional one, is what makes this year’s notification significant.
HS Semester III: What Has Changed and the Full Revised Routine
The Higher Secondary Semester III examination for the 2027 batch begins on Monday 21 September as planned. The only change triggered by the Karam Puja holiday is that all vocational subject papers, originally fixed for 22 September, move to Monday 13 October, in the second half of the day, from 2 pm to 3 pm. This covers Health Care, Automobile, Retail, Security, IT and ITeS, Electronics, Tourism and Hospitality, Plumbing, Construction, Agriculture, Power, Banking and Financial Services, Food Processing and Telecom.
That is the second revision in a week. On 10 September the Council had already moved the papers of 5, 6 and 7 October to 12, 13 and 14 October because of the Assembly by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar (polling on 6 October, counting on 9 October). Put together, the routine now reads as follows.
- 21 September: First Language
- 24 September: Second Language
- 25 September: Economics, Anthropology, Science of Well-Being, Applied Artificial Intelligence
- 28 September: Physics, Nutrition, Education, Accountancy
- 29 September: Computer Science, Modern Computer Application, Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Health and Physical Education, Music, Visual Arts
- 30 September: Statistics, Psychology, Commercial Law and Preliminaries of Auditing, History
- 1 October: Chemistry, Geography, Human Development and Resource Management, Business Studies
- 3 October: Philosophy
- 12 October: Mathematics, Business Mathematics and Statistics, Basic Mathematics for Social Sciences, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Journalism and Mass Communication
- 13 October (first half): Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Sociology, Fisheries and Aquaculture
- 13 October (2 pm to 3 pm): All vocational subjects
- 14 October: Biological Sciences, Political Science, Costing and Taxation
The Council has said it will issue revised admit cards. If the new card has not reached you before your first paper, you can enter the hall with the existing admit card and collect the revised one from your school afterwards. WBCHSE has also cautioned that the routine could be adjusted again if circumstances demand, so treat the official website (wbchse.wb.gov.in) and your school notice board as the source of truth rather than a screenshot forwarded on WhatsApp.
Two Holidays in One Week: Vishwakarma Puja on Friday
Adding to the confusion, the state’s Vishwakarma Puja holiday has been fixed for Friday 18 September through a separate Finance Department notification dated 14 September, even though several printed calendars had marked Thursday 17 September. Calcutta University has declared Friday a holiday, while Jadavpur University listed both 17 and 18 September as closed. If you work or study in a government institution in Kolkata, this is the week to read every circular twice. For the weeks ahead, our Durga Puja 2026 dates guide lays out the festival calendar from Mahalaya on 10 October, when the next long stretch of closures begins.
Practical Checklist for Students and Parents
- Confirm with your school whether it follows the state holiday list; government and aided schools are closed on 22 September, private schools may not be.
- Semester III candidates: keep your existing admit card safe and carry it to every paper until the revised card reaches you.
- Vocational-stream students now have a three-week gap before their paper on 13 October; use the extra time, but note the afternoon slot (2 pm to 3 pm).
- Recheck the routine after the by-election results on 9 October, since the Council has kept the option of further changes open.
- Plan commutes on holiday days the way you would for a Sunday: expect thinner bus frequency and possible adjusted Metro timings, as happened on Janmashtami earlier this month.
FAQs
Is 22 September 2026 a holiday in West Bengal?
Yes. The Finance Department has declared Tuesday 22 September a State Government holiday for Karam Puja. State government offices, boards, corporations and state-controlled educational institutions will remain closed.
Will schools and colleges in Kolkata be closed on 22 September?
Government and government-aided schools, state universities and their affiliated colleges will be closed. Private and central institutions decide independently, so check for a notice from your school or college.
Has the HS Semester III exam been postponed?
Not as a whole. The examination still begins on 21 September. Only the vocational papers of 22 September have moved to 13 October (2 pm to 3 pm), and the papers of 5 to 7 October were earlier shifted to 12 to 14 October because of by-elections.
Do students need a new admit card?
WBCHSE will issue revised admit cards. Until they arrive, candidates can appear with their existing admit cards and collect the updated version from their school later.
Is Vishwakarma Puja also a holiday this week?
The state holiday for Vishwakarma Puja has been notified for Friday 18 September. Some institutions, including Jadavpur University, have listed Thursday 17 September as closed as well, so check your own institution’s circular.
The Bottom Line
Tuesday 22 September is a full state holiday in West Bengal for Karam Puja, and HS Semester III vocational candidates now sit their paper on 13 October instead. With Vishwakarma Puja on Friday and Durga Puja only three weeks away, September’s calendar is unusually crowded, so keep an eye on official notices rather than forwarded messages. KolkataDekho will update this piece if WBCHSE revises the routine again.
Sources: West Bengal Finance Department holiday notifications (16 September 2026 for Karam Puja; 14 September 2026 for Vishwakarma Puja); WBCHSE revised Semester III notices of 10 and 15 September 2026; cross-checked against reporting by Millennium Post, Uttarbanga Sambad, Kolkata TV and CareerIndia.
Featured image: A student writing an examination paper, photo by Billy Albert on Unsplash.
