GUWAHATI: Rain, COVID-19 have contributed to a low-key celebration of Durga Puja across Assam. Only a small trickle of devotees were seen at the Puja pandals.
Relatively, Pandu and Chandmari had a fair bit of attendance. Other localities like Sixmile, Panjabari, Beltola, Japorigog had remarkably thin attendance.
The celebration of the festival is restrained to only religious rituals this year. The Assam Government has issued guidelines to cut short the celebration to prevent COVID-19 infection. Many committees in Guwahati which organize grandiose Durga Puja every year are celebrating a low-key puja.
“We couldn’t come out yesterday and day before that due to rains. Today we will seek Maa Durga’s blessings,” said a devotee at a Puja Mandap in Guwahati.
Even usual shops for sweets, toys and vendors around the puja pandals are less in comparison to previous years. As if to cap it all, the inclement weather is out to play the spoilsport.
