(TAN): On the auspicious morning of “ashtami”, considered the most important of the Durga Puja days, an octogenarian sat before his television screen at his home in Kolkata, with his hands folded.
As the television showed a live telecast of the “pushpanjali” of a popular Puja of Kolkata, the man repeated the “mantras” after the priest. — first time he did it this way sitting at home, and not at the local Durga Puja pandal.
Welcome to the new normal!
The first major blow to the festive fervour came shortly before the start of the festival when Calcutta High Court banned the entry of visitors in the pandals. The order took away the most prominent part of the Puja — the crowds. Consequently, the roads of Kolkata, that belong to millions of pandal-hoppers during the Durga Puja days, now are emptier than even non-Pujo days.
[ALSO READ: How a Kolkata girl is spending Durga Puja in Paris during Covid]
A jam-packed Rashbehari Connector is somewhat synonymous with Durga Puja. It is lined up with some of the most popular pujas of Kolkata. This year, the pandemic has wiped out the signature crowd from this road, unthinkable during this time of the year.
The iconic Durga Puja of Maddox Square is famous for the “adda” in small groups. This year the puja organisers requested visitors ahead of Pujo to “refrain from doing so”.
A quintessential part of pandal-hopping is eating out. In past years enthusiasts would have been seen lined up outside the eateries, even for hours, to get a seat. In a stark contrast, this year the popular restaurants have zero waiting time, even during the peak hours.
“I went to a popular South Asian restaurant in Lake Road on Shashti around two in the afternoon and found seats straightaway. This would be unthinkable in other years,” said Dipika Dey, 32, a banker.
[ALSO READ: Pandemic takes a toll on Sundarbans tourism, Durga Puja crowd missed]
“On Soptomi I went for lunch at a popular Ballygunge restaurant that specialises in Bengali cuisine with two friends. I was very surprised that I did not have to wait at all,” said Urmi, who stays in Hyderabad, but is in Kolkata for Durga Puja.
While virus fear is keeping many people at home, a significant majority is not ready to let their spirit down. So even while staying at home, they are flooding the social media with so-called “Pujo pictures”, all dressed up. Many see this as a “moral victory” over the virus.
Everyone, however, is not this conscious. Some revellers are still out there on the streets, many of them not following the basic guidelines such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
That is where the experts ring the alarm. They cite the example of a spike in Covid-19 in Kerala after Onam. The state reportedly saw a 126% increase in cases after the festival.
Just before the Durga Puja began, West Bengal also saw a surge in cases, leaving ample room for concern over a post-Puja surge in the number of virus cases.
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