Delhi residents take the e-route to mark Durga Puja from home

Most Durga Puja organisers also made arrangements for online booking for bhog – food that is traditionally distributed among the masses – even as they dropped cultural events from their plans, in view of a decline in sponsorships and donations

Ritwik Sen hurriedly did up the buttons of his crisply ironed kurta as his teenage son turned on the laptop on the centre table and logged on to the Facebook page of a prominent Durga Puja organiser in the national capital. Sen’s wife Mandira, quickly fetched a book of Sanskrit shlokas from the drawer of the small temple alcove in their Kalkaji home.

At a pandal in Kali Bari, on Wednesday. Pandals were allowed a maximum of 200 guests or 50% of total seating capacity, whichever is lower. (Amal KS/HT)

Soon, the laptop screen came alive with a temple priest reciting shlokas and the Sens followed, turning the pages of the prayer book in Mandira’s hand as they missed a word or two. Around 23km away, in Dwarka’s Sector 6, Pancham Bharadwaj and family kept the rituals in a similar fashion. So did Anirban Sengupta’s family in east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave.

“These are rituals which we cannot miss. But safety protocols are paramount in light of Covid-19. So it is safer to follow these rituals online, even though people are allowed to be physically present in venues this year,” said Sengupta.

Even though the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) allowed visitors at Durga Puja pandals this year, unlike the previous year when no visitor was allowed in pandals, several families on Wednesday chose to offer their Durga Ashtami prayers at home, while watching a live-stream of rituals being performed at a puja pandal of their choosing.

In the years before Covid, pushpanjali was a grand affair with the 500-odd Durga Puja venues in the capital witnessing thousands of visitors, often compelling organisers to break the gathering into batches and urging priests to repeat the shlokas for the benefit of each batch.

Last year, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisers were forced to take the rituals online. They continued with the practise this year as well, even though they were allowed to entertain devotees at venues – subjected to restrictions such as a maximum of 200 guests or 50% of total seating capacity, whichever is lower.

“The event was broadcast live on social media as well as on our website. We also tied up with several cable TV operators for live coverage. Even though we are following all necessary guidelines, we kept the online option open to devotees,” said Swapan Ganguly, convener of Kali Bari temple, in New Delhi’s Mandir Marg, which hosts one of the most prominent Durga Pujas in the city.

In a similar fashion, most Durga Puja organisers also made arrangements for online booking for bhog – food that is traditionally distributed among the masses. “Distribution of bhog is usually a massive affair, and involves large gatherings at venues. Organisers made online arrangements this time,” said Robin Bose, general secretary of Durga Puja committee in Kashmere Gate.

Durga Puja festivities are marked by cultural events, exhibitions and food, a wide range of which is often available in temporary stalls that are set up inside and outside pandals and they stay open late into the night to cater to the rush. Localities such as CR Park transform into smaller version of Kolkata, where Durga Puja is a grand annual affair.

While the DDMA did not allow fairs and stalls in and outside venues, most organisers dropped cultural events from their plans, in view of a decline in sponsorships and donations. Collectively, these factors have contributed in changing the Durga Puja experience for residents in the city.

“It is difficult to imagine Durga Puja without food stalls and cultural events. In other years, we used to go pandal hopping with friends till midnight,” said Ashmita Basu, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 1.

Divya Ghosh, a resident of CR Park, said, “The fact that the festival is still being organised, shows that things are returning to normal. Safety is a priority and I am sure people are taking the necessary precautions. But things still feel different — festivities are low-key, there are no food stalls or cultural events, all much needed ingredients for a full puja experience.”