Kolkata Durga Puja committees, London Sharad Utsav to discuss COVID impact on Durga Puja

In the wake of the surge in COVID-19 infections across the country, the prevailing situation is bound to affect the celebration of festivals and also the livelihood of many people associated with their preparations. Anticipating the impact, some of the Durga Puja Committees from Kolkata and London Sharad Utsav is conducting a webinar in mid-July to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the Durga Puja festival primarily held in West Bengal and also celebrated across the country with much pomp and fervour.

Representatives of the Durga Puja Committees from Kolkata are said to participate in the webinar with the London Sharad Utsav to discuss the impact of the pandemic on people such as priests and others during the five-day festival.

Subir Das of Bengal Heritage Foundation said, “The webinar will be conducted in mid-July.”

“The discussion will be on how to help people like priests, ‘dhakis’, idol-makers and pandal designers who are economically dependent on Durga Puja,” he added.

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The Bengali festival of Durga Puja coincides with Navratri and is celebrated in the last five days of the Navratri which is primarily a Gujarati festival consisting of Dandiya and Garba celebrations, however, this festival too is celebrated across the country.

The two festivals witness large scale gatherings of people coming together to celebrate the festival by erecting large pandals and organise dance and gathering events. But with the brunt of the pandemic, the festivals may be observed by the devotees with fewer outdoor activities and movement. However, it remains pertinent to see how the associated events and gatherings will be held amid the pandemic.

India has witnessed an alarming surge in the COVID-19 infections, the total tally of the infected cases stands at 5,28,859, of which 2,03,051 are active cases while the country has witnessed 16,095 fatalities due to the virus. However, what comes as a piece of good news is the recovery rate of the country is improving at a faster rate. 3,09,713 have been recovered in the country so far.

(With ANI inputs)

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