The Lead: Will coronavirus dampen Durga Puja festivities this year?

In this episode, DH Journalist Ahmed Shariff speaks to DH West Bengal correspondent Soumya Das about how the pandemic has affected the preparations for West Bengal's biggest festival Durga puja and Soumya das speaks to Saswata Bose, general secretary of Forum for Durgotsab— a Kolkata-based forum with 373 puja organizers.

Excerpt:
Ahmed: She lights up the spirits of those seeking refuge. Look around Kolkata and you will never miss her. She is Durga and what about the festival that celebrates the goddess? Let’s find out. Hi, this is Ahmed Shariff and I am joined by our correspondent from Kolkata, Soumya Das. Welcome to DH Radio.
Soumya: Hi.
Ahmed: How is the preparation of Durga puja going on this year?
Soumya: You see, by this time with Durga puja is barely three months away. In a normal situation, the organisers would have been calling the press, trying to create a hype about their themes and planning. But now, this year with this pandemic, things are going painfully slow. The main reason behind that is the uncertainty surrounding the sponsorship, especially corporate sponsorship. One thing that one has to know is that as far as the big-ticket Durga pujas in Kolkata are concerned, they survive on corporate sponsorship without this these big Durga pujas will not be taking place at all. Due to the uncertainty, the big-ticket organisers are planning on cost-cutting. And one thing is for sure that this year's Durga puja may not be very familiar to people at large as well as the people in Kolkata...

Soumya: How hopeful you are about organizing Durga Puja amid the Covid-19 pandemic?
Saswata: Durga Puja is still three months away. Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Kolkata and West Bengal. So far there is no sign of them coming down. But we are hopeful. If you look at the European countries where the pandemic started about five months back but now cases are decreasing. So we are hopeful that infection in West Bengal will decrease s bit within two months. Perhaps it won’t have as much pomp and glitter as before but we are hopeful of organizing puja this year. We have issued an instruction for our members to cut down on the budget and height of the idol along with some other measures.

Soumya: What are your plans for crowd management at pandals while maintaining social distancing?
Saswata: People will come to visit the pandals which is one of the key purposes for the festival. Puja organizers are also social workers and they are well aware of their responsibilities to society. This year we will adopt different measures. There are two kinds of Durga Pujas in Kolkata, first those which are held in grounds and second those which are held in allies. We have urged our member organizers to widen the gate of the pandal if their pujas are held in grounds so that people can see the idol from outside and leave. This will help avoid any gathering inside the pandal. As for pujas held in alleys, we have told them to set up bigger barricades which will make controlling crowds easier. We will also conduct thermal screening at the entry point and no one will be allowed to enter with fever, wearing masks will be mandatory and hand sanitizers will be provided to visitors. Only around 25 people will be allowed to enter the pandal at one. Since the number of visitors at the pandals usually swells at night due to the lighting we are urging people to visit pandals at day time as much as possible to avoid gathering.

Soumya: Have you informed the state government about your proposal for the holding Durga Puja this year?
Saswata: We are yet to inform the state government officially, as the state administration is currently busy with handling the Covid-19 crisis. This time also hopefully Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will call us for a meeting. Then we will submit our proposals.

Soumya: Do you there will be adequate corporate sponsorship this year for big-ticket event?
Saswata: It’s a very significant issue. Let's be clear about one thing. Without sponsorship, Durga Pujas cannot be held in Kolkata. Sponsorship in Kolkata Durga Puja mainly comes from Bombay, Delhi and Bengaluru. But these cities are hit badly by the pandemic which in turn affected the local business entities. Despite the odds, we are hopeful of overcoming the challenges. We are in talks with our sponsors.

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