Durga Puja committees in Gurgaon opt for low-key celebrations

Pandal hopping has been one of the highlights of Gurgaon’s Durga Puja celebrations for years. The city’s Bengali community organises over two dozen Durga Pujas across the city every year. So, the disappointment was inevitable when COVID caused puja celebrations in the city to be cancelled last year. Aficionados and foodies will just have to wait longer as the persistence of pandemic and government rules in place mean that even though Gurgaon’s Durga Puja committees will hold celebrations this year, they will largely be closed for the general public.
Almost all of the Durga Pujas being organised in the Millennium City this year are not allowing visitors beyond the committee members. There are no big pandals, no food stalls, and no on-ground cultural programmes. Tapas Dey from the Sahasrabdi Durga Puja Committee says, “We will be holding only a small puja within the premises. There’ll be no food stalls or other attractions. In fact, the pandal and puja will only be open for members of the committee and their families.” Even though there is no restriction on partially vaccinated attendees, all committees say they are trying to make sure all members are double vaccinated by the time the puja begins. In fact, all pujas are ensuring all the staff and helpers, including priests, cooks, etc, are also fully vaccinated. In addition, there is no bhog at the pandal with most pujas preferring either takeaways or tying up with food delivery providers for home delivery for members.

Almost all of the Durga Pujas being organised in the city this year are not allowing visitors beyond the committee members

Certain pujas that are allowing outsiders have also introduced a timeslot roster system for visitors to avoid overcrowding at the venue, using technology for it. Nitish Mukherjee, a governing body member from the Bangiya Parishad that organises a big puja in Sector 56, tells us, “We have an app where visitors can register themselves and book time slots in advance for their visit to the pandal. There are limited visitors at each time slot to make sure the number of visitors in the pandal at any one time does not exceed the limit prescribed by the administration.” For some, the reduction in scale has also meant a change in the venue. The Purbapalli Durgotsav, for instance, usually organises a large scale puja in Sector 15 but due to COVID, this year, they have not only scaled the festivities down but also shifted the venue to a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. “Since the puja is open only for members and much smaller in scale, we are organising it in a farmhouse just outside the city. We can ensure COVID protocols are being followed much better over there,” says Shoubhik Sen, who is associated with the puja.
Many of the puja committees will be organising cultural programs, albeit virtually. Most will be streaming them either live or delayed on their social media pages or websites. Organisers say that the virtual model has allowed them to be more ambitious with their choice of artistes. “The scope of cultural activities has actually increased this year due to it all being digital. Moreover, as COVID and work-from-home situations have been ongoing for a year-and-a-half, everyone is now well-versed with the technology. This way, we can have artistes from Kolkata perform for us virtually, some of whom may not have travelled down to Gurgaon otherwise,” says Nitish Mukherjee from the Bangiya Parishad. The puja committee has bought a licensed software to stream the performances on their social media.
Like last year, the committees have together formed a Joint Puja Committee in Gurgaon to oversee the visarjan of the idols in an eco-friendly manner. Usually, it is done in a big tank in Sector 56 but this time, since most of the idols are much smaller than regular years, it will also be a smaller affair. “There will be no processions during the visarjan and each committee will be allowed to bring only five people for the visarjan,” informs Shoubhik Sen.
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