Ganpati festival to go virtual during COVID-19 pandemic

Setting a new trend a community puja organiser in city will organise a virtual Ganpati festival this year in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

club, which organises one of largest community Ganaptai pujas in West Bengal, has junked its plans for a me-based festival and opted to go virtual with contagion and its protocol in mind.

Salt Lake Yuvak Sangha president Anindya Chatterjee told PTI that decision t to erect a marquee r allow any visitor was taken after second phase of lockdown was anunced.

"We decided that virtual darshan would be only alternative to avert any threat of contamination rar than t holding puja at all this year," he ded.

puja falls on August 22 this year. total lockdown has been anunced on that date though re will be lockdown in containment zones till August 31. Parts of Salt Lake where club is situated falls within containment zone.

"We don't want to take away joy of festivities of people, ir joy of attending arati or offering puja.

We will stream rituals of our Ganesha puja live on Facebook which can be seen on mobiles and smart TV screens at homes," he said.

In keeping with this, me of club's Ganesha puja in its eleventh year is 'Grihokone Vinayak' (Ganapati at home), he said.

"Every year, we come up with different mes for puja and put up grand pandals besides a km-long illumination by experts from Chandernagore. This year in view of situation we have plans to put up a giant screen near PNB Island crossing in Salt Lake so that people can see idol maintaing social distancing rm. We will go ahe with this only after discussing with local ministration," Chatterjee said.

idol, which is being me by a clay modeller from Kumartuli area in city, will be kept in a hall. Only priest and very few members of puja committee, who will assist him in rituals, will be allowed in. y will wear masks and regularly sanitise ir hands.

"re will be live streaming of rituals. inauguration, darshan, aarti, pushpanjali and all or rituals can be seen by logging in to Facebook p of puja committee," Chatterjee said.

organsiers have also kept options open for devotees to register ir names and 'gotras' for offering puja and home delivery of pras.

Each devotee will be alloted separate time slot for offering puja and should log in before time specified for m. person will be required to book his/her time days before festival by contacting puja authorities on internet or by visiting puja committee office.

"We will arrange puja for devotee but cut fruit will be allowed. We will eng an online food aggregator for sending pras to devotee who resides within city limits or Salt Lake, New Town areas," he said.

Devotees from faraway places will have to collect pras at his/her convenience, he ded.