Covid-19-induced lockdowns and restrictions have made people more vigilant. When it comes to celebrating festivities, the people of India are not yet ready to refrain from the revelry. They go the whole hog to make it an occasion to remember. However, for the past one and a half years, celebrations in public places have been curtailed to a large extent to ensure people’s safety and not add to the burgeoning Covid crisis.
Likewise, several cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, have issued fresh curbs on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi to check the outbreak of a possible third wave of the deadly virus. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the administrative body of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area, has permitted only three-day celebrations of Ganesh Pooja in public places in the city with certain restrictions, but Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued fresh curbs for Ganesh Chaturthi to restrict the crowd gatherings. As Mumbai continues registering around 4,000 new infections each day, the civic body of BMC has prohibited ‘pandal hopping’ for devotees and requested citizens to celebrate the festival without ceremony. Not over 10 people will be allowed in the processions of public pandals, and only five are permitted for household Ganpati’s. BBMP, on the other hand, said no procession while bringing the idol, or the immersion of idol should not take place. With over 1,000 new Covid-19 cases and about 15 fatalities, the BBMP has banned the holding of cultural events; however, around 20 devotees at a time are permitted to enter public Ganpati pandals.
Meanwhile, the national capital has completely banned Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, advising citizens to observe the festival at home. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued the restrictions on September 8. By the time the restrictions were brought to notice, the idol makers were ready with the Ganesh idols and vendors had ordered and bought these in bulk, hoping that Delhi would celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi like pre-pandemic era.
A 45-year-old woman, Pinky Rajput, a vendor (sells products made of iron in several markets in Delhi), has put up a stall of hundreds of Ganesh idols at Ganesh Nagar Chowk. The lady has already spent lakhs but is hardly seeing any customers.
“I have purchased idols worth Rs 2 lakh and set up a stall in front of my residence a week ago, but I haven’t even managed to get half of the amount I spent setting up the stall and purchasing the idols,” shared Pinky Rajput, an immigrant from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan when NRI Vision visited the Ganesh Nagar Chowk in Delhi. “As today is Ganesh Chaturthi, more people are coming to buy an idol compared to the last three days. Even though more customers are visiting, only a few are buying a Ganpati idol. If this goes on throughout the day, I will face drastic losses.”
The sellers fear that they have to immerse the idols themselves if they cannot manage to stock out.
“The number of customers I have been getting since I have put up the stall, it seems like by the end of the day I have to immerse the unsold idols of Bappa myself,” Alok Lokesh, a 30-year-old vendor, said in a disappointing tone.
However, some people in Delhi have been spotted bargaining with sellers and moving on, some got their ordered idols delivered from idol makers of CR Park, Delhi.
