As per the Indian calendar, festivals usually start around August every year with Raksha Bandhan. Each festival is celebrated with a lot of vigour and enthusiasm. However, this year, the festivities have been marred by the outbreak of coronavirus.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on the Indian festivals. The celebrations of festivals have been either banned, or scaled down. The BrihanMumbai, the apex body in Maharashtra, has urged the organisers to celebrate the festivals in a simple manner. The nine-day festival starts on October 17 on the auspicious occasion of Navratri.
The restricted festive events have led to a major loss of income for those whose livelihood is dependent on such festivals. Even the major shopping markets across Mumbai saw less crowd. With festivals like Dussehra and Diwali nearing, markets wear a deserted look.
A Mumbai-based idol maker said that his business has been badly impacted because of Covid-19, as he has not received enough orders for Durga idols ahead of Navratri. “We don’t have any bookings. We are dependent on this festival but people are afraid of stepping out.” he said, adding that he received only 40% orders this year.”
. Similar losses have been faced by Ramleela performers. Every year during Durga Puja and Dussehra, Ramleela used to have a huge audience and devotees. But this year, BMC has not given permission to any group to perform Ramleela.
Speaking on the same, Ramkripal Upadhyay, head of Ramleela Samiti in Mumbai said, “We have been performing ramleela for the past several years and we call artists from Mathura in UP. We asked for permission to perform the act with limited crowd, social distancing or through digital show but no permission has been given to us.”