Low-key Durga Puja celebrations this year; sale of idols dips in Thane

Pandal hopping, community lunches and glitzy cultural soiree will be missing this Durga Puja festival as it will be a low-key affair on the backdrop of this year’s

Pandal hopping, community lunches and glitzy cultural soiree will be missing this Durga Puja festival as it will be a low-key affair on the backdrop of this year’s pandemic. Idol makers who visit the city from Kolkata every year claim that this time the sale of idols is 40 per cent less while the demand is more for small idols.

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Durga Puja is a huge affair in Thane with most Bengali communities setting up huge pandals across the city. Idol makers, folk artistes and priests come down from Kolkata every year during the season to provide the feel of Durga Puja celebrations akin to West Bengal.

Idol maker Shubhojit Das has been coming from Kolkata every year since the last 14 years to make idols for Durga Puja. “Every year, we arrive four months in advance with our skilled workers. This year, I came with fewer workers a month ago. There are many pandals who are not celebrating this year. We have only received 60 per cent orders for idols. These are for smaller ones at 4 ft or less.”

Some of the Durga Puja pandals have used their funds for Covid relief activities and cancelled celebrations this year. Navodaya Sangh near Kashinath Ghanekar is one such pandal.

“We used funds in many ways, from providing financial support to social organisations that provide Covid relief activities to helping those within our vicinity in need of any assistance during the lockdown. Moreover, we will be making payment as we do every year to our priest and folk artistes who arrive from Kolkata to perform the rituals,” said Shushobhan Chowdhary, President, Navodaya Sangh.

Meanwhile, some other pandals will have minimal celebrations, “It will be a low-key affair. Instead of a pandal, it will be in a hall with restricted entry of devotees, as per government rules. We have decided to go online completely – from printing online invitation cards to telecasting the puja and all other rituals for the four days. This year, our theme will be ‘Salute to Covid Warriors. On all the four days, we shall host in-house cultural programmes online,” said Abhijit Chatterjee, member, New Bengal Club, which has been celebrating at Manpada, near Neelkanth Woods, for the last 19 years.

Similarly, Bangiya Parishad, opposite Highland Gardens in Dhokali, have kept a very low budget. B Majumdar of the organising committee, said, “We have not made any huge plans and would only conduct it in a small hall with basic provisions. It will be for the sake of it as we wish to continue with the ritual this year as well. We will follow all social distancing rules and ensure fewer people are present. We will have limited prasad for 10 to 15 devotees who will be attending the puja. These will be small packets, thus following the no contact policy.”

This year, members of these pandals are themselves making all the arrangements for decorations and rituals. A minimum of 10 people from the organising committee will be present including the priest within the pandals. No outsiders or devotees will be allowed and there will not be any stalls or exhibitions.