The typical enjoyable, frolic and religious fervour related to Maha Ashtami was hardly noticeable on Saturday, with people across West Bengal worshipping the goddess virtually
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Dussehra | Coronavirus | Durga Puja
The usual enjoyable, frolic and spiritual fervour connected with Maha Ashtami, considered the most auspicious of the 4 days of Durga Puja, was barely visible on Saturday, with individuals across West Bengal worshipping the goddess virtually, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and a high court order.
Standard rituals like ‘sandhi puja’, ‘kumari puja’ and ‘sandhya arati’ were telecast on television or live streamed by organisers in view of COVID-19 protocols and the Calcutta High Court order restricting entry to marquees.
The famous ‘kumari pujo’, a rirual in which a lady of less than 8 years of age is worshipped as Goddess Durga after being selected by monks, was revealed by means of the digital medium at several places, consisting of the Belur Mathematics, the worldwide headquarters of Rama Krishna Math and Mission.
” Belur Mathematics had organised live streaming of the rituals on Facebook and YouTube for the millions of fans around the globe,” a senior official stated.
A variety of puja organisers, like Behala’s Jagatpur Kheyali Sangha, established apps to stream the rituals.
The centuries-old spiritual ceremonies were, nevertheless, observed at numerous Rajbaris (royal homes) like the Sovabazar Rajbari, Behala’s Roybari and the Krishnagar Rajbari in Nadia district, while sticking to safety norms.
For lots of, the virtual worship is a bitter pill to swallow.
” I am 67 and I don’t remember not participating in the puja rituals ever. This COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire situation. I prayed to Goddess Durga this year through the virtual mode,” said Satyabrata Seal.
Suchandra Bhattacharya, a 21- year-old BBA student said: “The saddest part is that the weather today is fine however we can not go out for pandal hopping. This is very hard to accept, but then, our hands are tied.”
Some community pujas and apartments made way for providing ‘pushpanjali’ (flowers) to the goddess by regulating the crowd and keeping social distancing.
” We made sure that people stand fairly apart from each other. Only 10 individuals were allowed to use ‘pushpanjali’ at a time, and we organised several rounds,” Tuhin Chakladar, secretary of an apartment in Lake Town, said.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted people on the celebration of Maha Ashtami.
” Wanting all a blessed Durga Ashtami. Pray Maa Durga to bless us all with peace. Let us conjure up the nine Shaktis of Ma Durga and be ever blessed,” Dhankhar tweeted.
( Just the headline and image of this report might have been reworked by the Business Requirement staff; the remainder of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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