Bengalis in Mumbai go digital to maintain Durga puja charm

Decoration for Durga puja underway at IMA House, Mahalaxmi, on Sunday. Pics/Ashish Raje

As the pandemic sucks the zing out of Durga puja for the second year, restricting Bengalis from swaying to the beats of dhak to sindoor khela, the community has decided to take the celebrations virtual.

Susmita Mitra, president of Bombay Durga Bari Samiti, the oldest Durga puja mandal in city that is celebrating its 92nd, said, "We have with heavy hearts decided to do away with our traditional celebrations and honour Maa Durga with a ‘ghot pujo' which we will digitally broadcast on various social media platforms."

The last four days of Navratri celebrations for Bengalis used to be all about visiting pandals, spending time with loved ones and partaking in a host of cultural programmes and shopping. "Since we won't be physically allowed to see Maa Durga, we have decided to go for quiet dinners. We miss the essence of the puja which was in visiting the pandals physically," said Suparna Sinha from Wadala.

Many Bengalis like Subrata Baidyaroy have decided to go out of Mumbai. "There is no fun in digital puja apart from getting to see Maa Durga and the aarti. We have decided to go on a holiday instead."

In pre-COVID years, the dhakis or drummers were specially flown from West Bengal. Until 2019, Nabakumar Das, 48, had visited Mumbai for 14 consecutive years to play the dhak. "This is the time of the year that we earn. We miss playing dhaki in Mumbai. Since this year too they decided to not have us, I came with my team to Delhi," said Das, who has played dhak in Thane and Powai.

"We didn't want to either risk their lives or others. We decided not to have the dhaki team this time also. We will be playing the recorded dhaki sound for the pujo," said Prosun Roy, a puja committee member of Spandan Foundation, Powai. He said most of the associations have however sent money to the dhakis knowing that puja is the time they earn. Roy said they will broadcast live feeds of a few of Durga puja pandals on their social media pages to give the community members the experience of digital pandal hopping.

Prosun Roy, puja committee member of Spandan Foundation, Powai

Mitra said they will hold an Anando Mela, the first get-together in Durga Puja, online on their Facebook page. She said they have invited vendors from the pandemic-battered cottage industries to promote their products online through the initiative.

92
No. of years Bombay Durga Bari Samiti has had puja in city so far