The City of Joy is witnessing a struggle between celebration and caution as the curtain rises on Durga Puja – a festival it looks forward to all year and which sees the construction of pandals in almost every nook and corner – in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic .
While there is enthusiasm among the people, the city, used to celebrating many festivals, has been forced to show restraint for a long time, there is also fear and restrictions like last year.
As the pandals have once again been declared a no-entry zone for the public, most of them are designed in such a way that visitors can see the idols from the street, without entering the enclosure and thus creating a crowd. And the brave have started pandal-hopping.
“Pooja seems less important this year. There appears to be a definite budget cut as many neighborhoods were not lit with lights. Most of the pandals were closed, people were actually watching from afar,” said Suparna Sengupta, a teacher from Bengaluru who is visiting her parents and visited some of the most popular pandals in south Kolkata on Friday evening like Ekdalia visited Evergreen and Ballygunge. Cultural Association. “Some of the pandals are yet to be constructed. It seems that not only the pandemic but also frequent cyclones and incessant unseasonal rains have affected the festivities. Kolkata seemed like a city on tenterhooks – optimistic yet cautious. “
According to Jai Ranjan Ram, one of Kolkata’s top psychiatrists, the apprehension is clear. He observed that the pure bliss felt during Durga Puja is absent. Dr. Ram said, “There is sadness in the air about the lives lost and financial difficulties, and there is an untold fear about the third wave.” “The much publicized restrictions are also constant reminders that we need to celebrate with caution. As a result, there is also a very different realization that life is not the same with COVID-19 looming over our lives. That feeling has a psychological effect, leading to depression and anxiety.”
People are celebrating in small ways under the shadow of fear. The theme of many pandals has remained, and this year they did not have to think much. For some, COVID-19 is a theme in itself, for some others, it is India’s better performance in the Olympics. What has been affected the most is eating out: before the pandemic, all pandals served lunch to local residents (and thus provided neighbourhoods with an opportunity to socialize) while most popular pandals had food for the public. There were stalls.
But doctors believe that these things should not be too sad. “There will be many pujas in our lifetime. To enjoy these, we need to be safe now. In West Bengal, the number of COVID-19 cases has not stabilized and, if anything, is rising slightly,” said Dr Kaushik Lahiri, founding member of West Bengal Doctors Forum.
Most people have taken the restrictions and consequently reduced gatherings in their stride. Salt Lake City-dweller and business-owner Anuradha Mitra has bought a few sarees herself, but this time the priority, she said, was comfort over style, noting that most were home-living.
“This time puja is like changing the decorations around the house and eating home-cooked Bengali food, as there will be no community lunches,” said Ms. Mitra. He further added: “Puja in Kolkata is really about the people from the surrounding towns and villages who earn their livelihood in the city and who bring their relatives and relatives to show the pandals and join the festivities. For two consecutive years This crowd is missing from here. It hurts so much for them.”
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