Kolkata prepares for scaled-down Durga puja amid Covid-19 disruptions

“The buffet table has been laid and people are hungry. The challenge will be in keeping them from getting to the food,” said the organiser of a prominent puja in South Kolkata. Going by the footfall so far, his fears may seem unfounded, though.

Perhaps the organiser was going by the queue, which stretched some 100 metres, in front of his pandal on Sunday. The decoration, the theme — all significantly toned down from last year — were still getting finishing touches. But some over-enthusiastic visitors kept pleading for a glimpse of the preparations. Finally, the lights had to be switched off rudely. “It was the only way to ward them off,” said the organiser.

The scene, however, changed dramatically on Monday as the Calcutta High Court ordered that no visitor would be allowed to enter Durga puja pandals in Bengal. For small pandals, barricades would have to be put up five metres from the entrance; for bigger ones, they’d be up at 10 metres. There are about 37,000 Durga pujas across West Bengal, of which 2,509 are in Kolkata alone.

The puja spirit that Covid-19 couldn’t crush has been dealt a blow by the court ruling, and the crowds have since thinned. 

After a review petition by the Forum for Durgotsab, an umbrella organisation that represents 400 pujas and four other clubs, some restrictions have been eased for the organisers, but not for pandal hoppers.

“Usually 10,000-12,000 people visit on Panchami and Sashthi. It is 5 pm and just about 3,000 people have come. The senior citizens are not visible anywhere,” says Abhay Bhattacharya, vice president of the organising committee at Bagbazar in North Kolkata. 

Lower footfalls are a put-off for advertisers, especially those who have been hoping to strike last-minute deals. Some have even opted out, as the court order makes their participation redundant.

“Sponsorship is down by 50 per cent. Companies have kept us hanging till the eleventh hour,” says Avijit Majumdar of Singhee Park Durga Puja Committee. Ballygunge Cultural Association president, Amitava Sinha, however, says the sponsors have stood by them even in this difficult year.

For most pujas, sponsorships are the major source of funds. From banks to companies that deal in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer durables, all have a budget for advertising during the pujas. “But this time, it is almost nil,” says the organiser of an award-winning puja.

Prominent pujas have sponsors for gates, pillars, banners and stalls. This time, however, the number of stalls is down to about one-third. And though budgets have been slashed by 40-60 per cent, organisers say they’re unlikely to recover the costs. “I don’t think we will recover more than 40 per cent of our money,” rues an organiser. 

Even at half the cost, the pandals are at their aesthetic best. Some have themes that are in keeping with the times. The Barisha Club Durga Puja Committee, for instance, has replaced the usual Durga idol with a migrant worker mother, and it has won hearts on social media. Some show Durga slaying the coronavirus instead of an asura (demon).

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced a grant of Rs  50,000 for each of the community puja committees, but most of it is being used for maintaining Covid protocols. “We are fumigating the pandal every 15-20 minutes,” says the organiser of one.  

Companies, meanwhile, say that branding initiatives have been kept to a minimum given to hard times. The lockdown hit them hard and business is just about beginning to limp back. Large-scale branding for a puja that may have little visibility is not an attractive proposition.

Sajjan Bhajanka, chairman and managing director of Star Cement and founder of Century Plyboards, says, “This time, we are not doing anything during the pujas due to Covid and the strain on business.” Typically, companies reserve a significant part of their advertising and publicity budget for Durga puja.

An Emami spokesperson says that this year, the company has kept its spends on brand visibility during Durga puja to a conservative limit.

“Apart from our Mantra Masala hoardings in and around Kolkata and in the top 10 towns of Bengal, we will be putting up banners for our edible oil at 100-odd housing complexes in Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas.”

Overall, curtailed and targeted advertising has ensured a scaled-down puja and the court order has kept revellers mostly home with West Bengal now clocking more than 4,000 cases a day.