Durga Puja 2020

Celebration in the time of pandemic

By
Debkumar Bhadra

Festivals and festivities are an integral part of Indian culture. In the words of Sadguru significance and importance of festivals in Indian culture was such that there was a time when there used to be a festival every day of the year. If today is ploughing day, tomorrow will be planting day, day after tomorrow weeding day - 365 days, 365 festivals. The sole purpose of these festivals is to bring peoples closer to one another, break the monotony, socialize, celebrate and unite into a fabric appreciating and rejoicing each other’s tradition, festivals and cultural diversity.

In the coming month, we have Durga Puja between 22-26 October, 2020. Celebration of Sharadiya Durga Puja in the islands and elsewhere in the country is unique in the sense that more than those five auspicious puja days, preceding months spent in preparation are also an event in itself. Secondly almost all Durga Puja is performed in temporary pandals put up for the purpose by clubs/puja committee. Preparation usually begins several months in advance with like minded peoples from a club or from village comming together. They form a committee, chalk out the budget, collect donations from the public, put up a pandal, decorate it, place idol of Goddess Maa Durga and perform puja which usually is spread over a period of 5 days. 

Though the primary goddess revered during Durga puja is Maa Durga, the celebration also include other deities namely Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth, prosperity and the partial incarnation of Adi Shakti Mahalakshmi), Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge and music), Ganesha (the god of good beginnings), and Kartikeya (the god of war). In Bengali tradition, these deities are considered to be Durga's children. 

Durga puja is believed to commemorate Durga's visit to her natal home with her children. The festival is preceded by Mahalaya, which marks the start of Durga's journey to her natal home. Primary celebrations begin on the sixth day (Shasthi), on which the goddess is welcomed with rituals. The festival ends on the tenth day (Vijaya dashami) when devotees embark on a procession carrying the worshipped idols to a river or a water body and immerse them, symbolic of her return to the divine cosmos and her marital home with Shiva in Kailash. Chants of Asche Bochor Abar Hobe (Coming year, Maa will again come) fill the air. 

In South Andamans somewhere close to 30 puja pandals are put up for Durga Puja which begins on 22nd October this year (2020). Since there is not much time left, it is felt that the authorities need to issue SOP for celebration of Durga Puja so that puja committees could go ahead with the preparation. 

Keeping in view the current pandemic scenario, COVID-19 Protocols, Social Distancing norms and MHA’s Unlock 4 guidelines allowing cultural/religious gathering from September 21, with a celiling of 100 persons, proposed here is a Model Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Durga Puja – 2020

1)      Idols to be prepared using environment friendly materials and its height be restricted to 4 feet or below.

2)      Entry and Assembly of devotees/public inside puja pandal subject to following COVID-19 Protocols and strict adherence of Social Distancing and Personal Hygiene norms.

3)      Provision for thermal screening and hand sanitization of devotees/public to be provided at the entrance itself.

4)      Only those wearing a mask properly will be allowed entry.

5)      Pandals are to be made in such a way to allow circulation of fresh air inside the pandal without hindrance.

6)      Ensure Entry/Exit gates are wide enough to allow contact-less movement of devotees/public.

7)      Separate Entry and Exit gates are to be provided to the extent possible.

8)      Individual puja will not be allowed.

9)      Sliced fruits will not to be allowed. Only whole fruit allowed as offering/prasad to the deity.

10)  Public distribution of mahabhog/prasad will not be allowed.

11)  No one except the priest will be allowed inside puja arena. Devotees entry limited to common pandal area only.

12)  Only 50 devotees per batch will be allowed inside the pandal during regular puja.

13)  Only 50 devotees per batch will be allowed during Maha Astami Pushpanjali.

14)  The pandal should be completely closed except during puja and evening hours between 4pm and 9pm.

15)  Only 50 devotees/public will be allowed at a time during evening hours.

16)  No Loudspeaker/Public Address System or playing of songs of any genre will be allowed. Indoor Box Speakers may be installed for important announcements only.

17)  No cultural program, music/dance/vedio show or any other event other than puja will be allowed.

18)  Decoration to the bare minimum and lighting will be restricted to pandal alone.

19)  Decorative, serial lights/boards outside the puja pandal will not be allowed.

20)  There shall be no procession.

21)  For immersion of idols, not more than one 4 Wheeler vehicle without Loudspeaker/PA System to ferry idols and 20 persons to carry out immersion of idols at the nearest water body/sea front by the shortest route will be allowed.

22) Bursting of fire crackers, use of holi/colour, foam/snow spray etc will not be allowed.

With passage of time, mankind got caught in what is called the rat race and forgot most of the festivals consequently left with some 30 – 40 festivals to rejoice. The COVID-19 pandemic further curtailed the scale and grandeur with which festivals are usually celebrated in the country. Everything that one does, be it work, ritual, recreation or a religious festival, every activity is now being regulated by SOP.

We saw SOP's issued a couple of days before Id-ul Zuha and Ganesh chaturthi. In the comming days SOP for celebration of Durga Puja is also expected. It is in this context model SOP has been proposed with the hope that concerned authorities, considering the fact that it takes considerable time in preparation for the festivity, would issue SOP’s at the earliest so that anxiety in the minds of puja committee members could be addressed and preparation for this year’s Durga Puja could begin. 

May the festivity pull mankind out of the pandemic and bring hope, optimism, prosperity, cheer, happiness and foster mutual cooperation, understanding and normalcy in our life.

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