Durga Puja organizers collect clay from riverbanks amid virus threat

Bhubaneswar: Amid the uncertainty over Durga Puja celebrations owing to the pandemic, many puja committees of the twin cities on Wednesday brought clay from the riverbanks on the occasion of Nanda Utsav for making idols. There was, however, no procession as the government allowed only a few people to participate in the rituals to ensure that social distance is maintained.

“Till now, the government has only allowed us to get the clay as per the rituals. We went to the Mahanadi river bank for that. There is no word on the construction of idols from the administration yet,” said Rabindra Narayan Bhanja, secretary, Ramgarh puja committee, Cuttack.

In Bhubaneswar, members of Nayapalli Durga Puja Samiti and Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Samiti, among others, brought the clay from the banks of river Kuakhai on Janmastami on Tuesday. “Only four people from our committee went for the rituals with our president Sachidananda Rath performing the puja,” said Harish Prasad Rath, the treasurer of Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Samiti.

The twin cities have over 170 puja committees each and they get the clay for Durga idol on different days like Janmastami, Nanda Utsav, Ganesh Puja, Radha Ashtami and on an auspicious day after Viswakarma Puja. The clay is collected from the banks of the Mahanadi, Kuakhai and Kathajodi. The Satyanagar Puja Committee, Bhubaneswar, will get the clay after Viswakarma Puja while the Mohammadia Bazar Puja Committee, Cuttack, will get it on Radha Ashtami.

Currently, the puja organisers are gearing up for ghata or kalash puja. Also, this year puja is likely to be bereft of the glitter that comes with the light decorations, massive gates, theme pandals, meena bazar and cultural programmes owing to Covid-19.

“People are reeling from huge financial crunch owing to the novel coronavirus. We cannot ask them for donations with so many jobs lost and businesses coming to a standstill,” said Pabitra Mohan Behera, president, Nayapalli Durga Puja Samiti. The office bearers of other puja committees also echoed similar views. They have also decided to conduct the festival with puja committee funds and voluntary donations from only members.