After a muted Durga Puja and Deepavali, Kolkata is ending the year with a spirited celebration of Christmas even as renewed restrictions are being put in place in several other cities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Park Street — the centre of Christmas festivities — is all decked up; pubs are hosting bashes; home bakers are giving big names a run for their money by spreading the word on social media. While the Christmas of 2020 may not be as cheerful as what the city witnesses every year, there is certainly more joy in the air than there was in the preceding months.
“Only a week ago when I crossed Park Street, I was deeply saddened by the grim look. I was told this year it won’t have any decor or the famed carnival. But the other day, while approaching Park Street from Esplanade, I could spot the dazzling lights from miles ahead. Then the feel of festivity jumped at me — cakes, cookies, carols!” Mumbai-based advertising professional Sreelekha Maitra, who is visiting Kolkata, told The Hindu.
Ms. Maitra elbowed her way into Allen Park, the venue of the popular Christmas carnival, and listened to carols being sung — in Bengali and in English. “It was a delight to watch the performances, particularly the St. Thomas Church choir. Announcements kept saying of rock bands coming up soon, but I was pressed for time,” she said.
Ms. Maitra was at the park on Monday, when the carnival was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who, of course, didn’t miss the opportunity to make a political statement. Ms. Banerjee sought to know why Christmas wasn’t a national holiday. “We celebrate Christmas as a public holiday in our State,” she said.
Doctors, meanwhile, expected similar restrictions that were imposed during other festivals in West Bengal, but now that year-end festivities have been set rolling, the least they expect of revellers is to wear masks. “I happened to be driving through Park Street on the day the carnival was inaugurated; needless to say, there was a large crowd and there was hardly any social distancing,” said Dr. Punyabrata Gun, convener of the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum.
“Just because there was no surge [in the number of COVID-19 cases] during Durga Puja and Deepavali does not mean that won’t happen during Christmas. While Christmas festivities are largely limited to Kolkata and that too the Park Street area, the risk remains high. People should wear masks to keep the risk as low as possible,” Dr. Gun said.