Feature: COVID-19 pandemic dampens festival spirit in India

Source: Xinhua| 2020-10-25 15:49:57|Editor: huaxia
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by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dampened the spirit of this festive season in India, as most people are keeping indoors amid fears of contracting the disease, and restrained from shopping sprees.

Though the usual hustle-bustle has returned in the markets and shopping complexes, the normal festivity mood is missing with people spending money mostly on necessities than on luxuries.

The twin Hindu festivals of Dussehra and Durga Puja fall on Sunday and Monday, respectively, this year. As a norm, people used to indulge in massive shopping sprees, particularly buying clothes, home appliances, vehicles, jewellery etc., in the run up to the Dussehra festival. But all this seems missing in COVID-hit 2020.

Around this time of the year, ahead of the Dussehra festival, a large number of people are involved in making effigies of demons - Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhkarna, and, similarly, ahead of the Durga Puja festival many families are engaged in making idols of Goddess Durga.

Every year, artisans, small-time shop owners, sweets makers, traditional cloth weavers, etc. used to receive an economic boost. Those artisans who make idols and effigies ahead of the festivals, are primarily seasonal workers depending on the festival season to earn their bread and save for rest of the year.

Various stretches in the Indian capital city and adjoining towns used to be abuzz with activities at this time of the year, with sellers making last-minute touches to the effigies and buyers lining up to pick up their orders.

But the scene is quite different this time. Since the demand is very low, people involved in these small-time businesses are a dejected lot.

Suresh Pahuja, 47, an effigy-maker in Delhi's adjoining town of Gurugram in Haryana state, says there is hardly any business for him.

"Since the local administration has put a ban on large gatherings and burning of effigies, I am literally left with no work. Every year during this festive time I used to earn enough money to support my family through the year. But now I will have to look for some other work to supplement my income," says Pahuja.

While the demons' effigies are burnt on the occasion of Dussehra, the Goddess Durga idols are immersed in water bodies like ponds and rivers on Durga Puja.

Kamala Prajapati, 38, a lady selling Goddess Durga's idols on a roadside pavement in Gurugram, says people are reluctant to buy any of the articles she sells.

"The pandemic and its fallouts have ruined our business. This year has been like a bane for artisans like us. In the past years it used to be a celebratory mood, but this year it's so dull," she adds.

On Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued an appeal to the people at large requesting them to immerse the Goddess Durga idols only at home, and not venture out in large processions like previous years.

"In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the immersion of Goddess Durga's idols in Yamuna river, water bodies or any artificial ponds, is strictly prohibited," said the Delhi chief minister in advertisements published in major newspapers.

According to him, proper guidelines for idols immersion have been made available on the Delhi government's official website, which mention that the idols should be made of traditional clay and painted with natural colours, and that they should be immersed at home only.

Those who violates the guidelines will be penalised or punished with a maximum of five-year jail term.

The mood in residential areas is gloomy too. With the local administrations issuing strict restrictions on people's congregations to celebrate the twin festivals, people are left with no choice but to stay indoors and plan symbolic celebrations only.

Manmeet Kaur, 41, a resident of Delhi's adjoining city of Noida and software engineer with a multi-national company, says that there are absolutely no celebrations planned in her residential colony on the occasion of Dussehra.

"Particularly the kids are a unhappy lot this year as they eagerly wait for this time of the year but won't be able to witness the regular pump and show this year due to so many restrictions imposed on festivals celebration," says Manmeet.

According to her, the kids in her residential area have planned some symbolic celebrations on a very small scale.

The latest figures released on Sunday by the federal health ministry showed India's COVID-19 tally reaching 7,864,811 as 50,129 more cases were registered during the past 24 hours.

The death toll surged to 118,534, with 578 deaths recorded since Saturday morning.

However, India's COVID-19 cases have been witnessing a downward trend. Sunday is the third consecutive day when the number of active cases has been below the 700,000-mark. Enditem

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