Bengalis to miss Durga Puja this year

Ludhiana: Though the Union government has issued certain guidelines for celebrations of festivals like Navaratras, Dussehra and Durga Puja, members of Bangia Samsad (a group of Bengali community) have decided to drop the plan to celebrate the one-week long festival on a large scale. The community people are disappointed with the decision as for over 60 years they have been celebrating the festival in the city on a large scale. But this year due to the pandemic the community members would not be able to celebrate the festival on a large scale.
The community members have planned to do a small puja for performing rituals on the club premises in the presence of a few club members. Also cultural function will be organised during the last three days. The community people who want to participate will send their recorded videos to organisers and these videos will be uploaded on FB page of Bangia Samsad.
The president of Bangia Samsad, SK Chakkarbarthy, said, “We are not going to celebrate the festival on a large scale this time due to coronavirus as we are scared of its spread. In our club also a few members have tested positive, so they have decided to drop the idea.” He said there was no fun in risking the lives because if they would remain alive then celebrations could take place next year on a similar scale. He claimed that they would organise a small puja in the club so as to maintain the continuity of the Durga Puja, which they have been doing for a long time.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the club Narayan Chattopadhyay said, “There will be an online cultural programme for the last few days so that members should not miss the opportunity to celebrate, but it will be a virtual programme.” He said most of the festivals had already passed without proper celebrations due to coronavirus but at this time safety was the most important thing for everybody, so they do not want to people to gather in large numbers.
For almost five days celebrations used to remain on the peak, especially on Saptami, Ashtami, Navmi and Dashmi, when women had the tradition to play with vermilion and then idol of Goddess Durga used to be immersed in the water with a promise that she would again come next year.