Lko set for Durga Puja amid Covid norms for 2nd year
LUCKNOW : The state capital will renew its bond of piety with the Goddess as the five-day Durga Puja celebrations begin on Monday amid observance of social distancing and other Covid protocols for the second successive year.
Some of the prominent venues for the celebrations in Lucknow this year are: Ramakrishna Math in Nirala Nagar, Mitro Sangho at Model House, Bengali Club & Youngmen’s Association,Trans-Gomti Dussehra and Durga Puja Committee and Rabinidra Palli among others. While most of the Durga Puja committees had installed idols in Lucknow last year, some performed the worship symbolically with a kalash (urn) due to the pandemic. This year, the Covid situation is under control. For instance, no fresh Covid case was reported in Lucknow on Saturday. According to the state health department data, there are 33 active Covid cases under treatment in Lucknow and a majority are in home isolation.
Kumari Puja to be the highlight at RK Math
As in the previous years, Ramakrishna Math, Nirala Nagar, would be a prominent venue of the celebrations in Lucknow and the highlight would be Kumari Puja on October 13.
During Kumari Puja, Goddess Durga would be invoked in a sixyear-old girl and worshipped by sanyasis of the Ramakrishna order.
“The special attention of the festival will be (on) Kumari Puja i.e, worship of Devi Durga in the form of a six-year-old girl at 9.30am on Wednesday (October 13). It symbolises the special presence of the Divine Mother within every woman,” said Swami Muktinathananda, adhyaksha (head of the Math).
Another special attraction will be Sandhi puja, comprising the concluding 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami from 7.44pm to 8.32pm on October 13.
“Durga Puja will be celebrated by the Ramakrishna Math on its spacious campus at Nirala Nagar, Lucknow, from Monday, October 11 till Friday, October 15, while maintaining the social distancing and other protocols in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. All the programmes will be live streamed on the official YouTube channel: Ramakrishna Math, Lucknow,” he added.
Anando Mela at Bengali Club
To celebrate the homecoming of the Goddess, the more than century old Bengali Club organised Anando Mela on Sunday. Bengali Club president Arun Banerjee said, “It was our pleasure to see people throng the club premises where several food stalls were set up by women members and their families.”
Portraying rural Bengal at Trans-Gomti puja
Like the previous year, TransGomti Dussehra and Durga Puja will not hold the rituals at the usual venue Chandra Shekhar Azad Park. Rather, the worship will be done indoors opposite the park. Durga Puja committee president Dr Kar Choudhary said, “Our theme is simple. We are replicating Gram Bangla (rural Bengal) on the puja premises. Owing to Covid-19, bhog prasad will not be distributed to the masses.”
Rabindra Palli: Idol to be back
Owing to Covid, the Rabindra Palli Durga Puja committee did not place an order for the Durga idol last year. Instead, they did Kalash puja. This year, the committee will have a Durga idol in place as the Covid situation has eased, said Pankaj Bose, general secretary.