Delhi's Durga Puja Committees Want To Keep The Festivities Intimate And Socially Distanced, Here's Why

The stage for Durga Puja is all set in New Delhi and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has given approval to celebrate this year. The Puja committees however, have decided to keep it simple. Some committees say there was less time for large scale preparations as permissions came in late and most confirm they are purposefully trying to keep the festivities within Covid-19 compliant behaviour, since there is fear of the third wave.

Even though for Bengalis, Durga Puja holds immense importance, they choose to forego grand celebrations for the greater good.

Prodip Ganguly, secretary, Kali Mandir Society (KMS), Chittaranjan Park says, “Our celebrations used to be so big that there’d be traffic jams.” But this year, they will go hybrid in their celebrations, with “devotees allowed in batches of 50 only, for darshan of about five minutes and within barricades”. “We’ll have only the idol of Maa Durga. No bhog or pushpanjali will be allowed inside,” says Anita Halder, convener, KMS, adding, “There will be no sindoor khela, and the idol immersion will be done in an in-house tub.”

At Arambagh Durga Puja, near Jhandewalan, the puja samiti is inviting devotees to their social media channels for live streaming of Pujo. “Entry in the pandal is only for organisers and their family, who have submitted vaccination certificates in advance. Even hired staff are fully vaccinated,” shares Abhijit K Bose, chairman of the committee. And committee’s president, SK Chakraborty adds, “Hum koi risk nahin le rahe.”

Suvendu Bagchi, from CR Park B-Block Puja, which is organising a symbolic ghot (Kalash) puja on Mahashtami (October 13), says, “Only 50 people will be allowed in at a time. There’s no pandal hopping this time. We have to be responsible to hold back any possibility of a third wave.”

While E-Block mela ground and Milan Samity committee in CR Park are organising one day puja with no devotees allowed, Sarbojanin Puja Samiti, D Block, CR Park, will have the celebrations on small scale and restricted entry in small batches.Soumili Sen, from D Block committee says, “The puja set-up is small because we didn’t have time.” And Sujoy Ghosh, general secretary, Sarbojanin Puja Samiti, adds that as it’s their silver jubilee, “An online anjali will be scheduled and we’ll have a two-feet idol that can be dissolved easily.”

Suvendu Bagchi, From CR Park B-Block Puja adds, “We are holding the Puja in a park, but the tent is not even half of what we used to put up before Covid-19. All of us have to be responsible to hold back any possibility of a third wave.”