The puja at Deshapriya Park will be a muted affair this year amid the Covid pandemic, a far cry from its dazzling past.
The organisers will build a small pandal around a concrete stage at the far end of the park, instead of an oversized structure that it used to erect before.
The budget this year — Rs 10 lakh — is around one-eighth of that of last year. Five years back, when the puja had to be shut down following a mad rush to catch a glimpse of what was touted as the “world’s tallest idol”, the budget was over Rs 1 crore.
The organisers of the Deshapriya Park puja, which is stepping into its 83rd year this year, failed to recall the last time the festivity was held in such a lacklustre way.
“There is a funds crunch. We have some 200 members, who will pitch in with contributions. Apart from that we won’t be able to raise anything this year,” said Sudipta Kumar, the secretary of the puja. “No stall owners have approached us and the puja is just a fortnight away.”
Over the past few years, Deshapriya Park was a must-go destination for pandal-hoppers and Lalbazar would have to draw up elaborate arrangements to channel the flow of visitors. View-cutters would have to be set up along the park compound on Rashbehari Avenue so vehicles did not slow down — and create snarls on the busy thoroughfare — to let passengers have a glimpse of the pandal and the idols.
“We have decided that the idol would be a bit taller, maybe around 12 foot. There will be no elaborate arrangements for lighting,” said a member of the puja committee. “We will probably just illuminate the pathway from the park to the pandal.”
Till last year, the organisers would spend around Rs 7 lakhs on lights. This year it would be just about a lakh.
Almost all pujas, including the ones that would draw large crowds, are battling a funds crunch amid the pandemic. Puja committees have cut down the size of their idols and many have settled for a basic pandal.
“We are planning to save some amount from our puja budget and donate it to those who have been working with us for years, including labourers and electricians,” Kumar said.
The police have had a few rounds of talks with the organisers. “If the puja is organised on a smaller scale, it would be easier for us to control the crowd,” said an officer.