Durga Puja (Lockdown Impact)

Durga Puja celebrations to be diluted in Kolkata, but pandals not being cancelled

Organizers believe West Bengal-based enterprises and corporations that sometimes sponsor the pandals might not give puja committees the maximum amount money as they typically do due to the economic impact that they themselves face post the lockdown.

 The COVID-19 pandemic and therefore the resultant lockdown goes to end in a muted Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata this year, but the pandals aren't being cancelled, it's learnt. The Forum for Saboteurb, the city-based organization that oversees all sarbojanin or community Durga Puja pandals within the Kolkata metropolitan area, dismissed reports that there would be no pandals thanks to the corona viruss outbreak. In the Kolkata metropolitan area, there are approximately 400 big pandals constructed p.a., additionally to countless smaller neighbourhood pandals. See more posts

 

“Major puja organizers within the city have informally decided that pujas are going to be organized on a smaller scale. But they're going to not be cancelled. there's no doubt of that, “We have gotten feedback from sponsors that they don’t know much money they’ll be ready to give us this year because their first-quarter income has been impacted.” Lockdown orders by the central government recently impacted Bengali New Year , Poila Boishak celebrations, where people were unable to exit of their homes for rituals and have interaction in their customary meetings with family and friends. FESTIVALS

 

Organisers believe West Bengal-based enterprises and corporations that sometimes sponsor the pandals might not give puja committees the maximum amount money as they typically do due to the economic impact that they themselves face post the lockdown. However, organisers say there will be more clarity on things within the coming weeks. See more

“We face budget cuts and that we have given money from our puja budget to the CM Relief Fund for coronavirus and that we may give more within the future. So we'll have a pandal but we'll curtail our spending. we all know that our sponsors won't be ready to give us enough money for the pandal this year. As of now, we still have plans to travel ahead with our plans for Durga Puja, but tons depends on government advisories and that we will cooperate with and support the govt .

“If the govt makes a choice thanks to coronavirus, then we’ll do the pujas during a very small way. Durga Puja has always happened here and therefore the government has always been involved. So we'll see what they're going to say and perhaps organise it by maintaining social distancing between visitors. In West Bengal , Durga Puja has become heavily commercialized over the years. “This isn't just a spiritual festival but it's an enormous industry with big income attached, from people buying clothes to the musicians who play the dhaak to the pandals. So it won’t be totally cancelled.