Amid Covid shadow, Durga Puja 2020 to go low-key

Kolkata: From gorging on delicious bhog to offering pushpanjoli or pandal hoping, Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bengalis is celebrated with gusto, but not in 2020.

With the Covid shadow looming large, this year's Durga Puja is slated to be held sans the usual grandeur as most of the organisers have slashed down their budget by 30 to 40 per cent.

The sponsors are yet to assure the puja committees of financial assistance and the state government's order that three sides of the pandal will have to be kept open because of the pandemic has also put the organisers in a tight spot as they feel that with this restriction it will be difficult to put up an attractive pandal.

However, to help them tide over the acute financial crisis, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a payment of Rs 50,000 to the community puja organisers across the state and instructed the administration particularly the police to ensure that no discrimination is made while giving the financial assistance to the clubs.

But pujas at Sribhumi, Ekdalia Evergreen, Naktala Udayan Sangha, Suruchi Sangha and Chelta Agrani, all organised by ministers — Sujit Bose, Subrata Mukherjee, Partha Chatterjee, Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim will be able to stick to their usual grandeur and show.

Sajal Ghosh of Nebutala Sarbojonin in central said: "Our pandal will be a replica of the temples at Kedarnath and Badrinath. Don't call it a theme but, he said. Over the past two decades Nebutala Park has become a star attraction because of the pandal and decorations.

Bapai Sen, art director of two important pujas in South Kolkata, namely, 95 Palli at Jodhpur Park and 21 Palli said: "It is our challenge in 2020 that attractive pandals with theme can be made with low budget."

At 21 Palli, the theme is Karma Chakra. From birth till death everyone is driven by Karma or work. With the passage of time many vocations have withered away like handpulled rickshaw, vistiwalla among others and replaced by new ones. Sen said: "Bohurupis have played an important role in the cultural life of Bengal and some bohurupis will come and act at the pandals. This will be an attempt to help them who are facing acute financial crunch due to the pandemic." At 95 Palli, the theme will be 'Amar Zilla' where the local art of every district like the Patachitra of East and West Midnapore, puppet shows of Kultuli in South 24-Parganas will be shown.

The Tridhara Puja has also curtailed its budget along with Abasar, Golmath and Bakulbagan, all these pujas are more than 75-years-old.

Kashi Bose lane, Hatibagan Sarbojonin, Telengabagan in north Kolkata have also cut down their budget drastically.

"It is a tough time for the us and we apprehend that finally pandal hopping many not be allowed due to the pandemic," said an organiser of a community puja.