The preparations for Durga Puja may be in full swing, but the organisers are bearing the brunt of inflation. From what used to be grandeur each year, the Puja will be more sober and a low-key affair this time.
With less than 10 days remaining for the Puja, the Samitis across the city are brainstorming to curtail the costs of pandals, idols, feast and entertainment for visitors.
The preparations for the Puja began two months ago and the pandals have started to metamorphose, but this time the devotees in the Capital may miss the glitz and glamour that made each pandal stand out.
“We are inviting local musicians and singers to entertain the crowd this year unlike the earlier year when renowned Bengali artistes from Kolkata had flown for our Puja. This way we are keeping our budget in check. Even then our cost has gone up but by a lesser margin,” said Samrat Banerjee, Vice President, Durgotsab, a 22-year-old Puja Samiti in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash-II.
“We are also reducing the number of musicians this year. Instead of a large number of dhakis (drummers) that come each year, we are now calling only a few,” added Banerjee.
Inflation has hit Samitis across the Capital in a big way this time with skyrocketing prices of fruits and vegetables along with labour, electricity and other necessities.
Cutting down on the pomp and show to accommodate the cost of the five-day affair, the organisers are keeping the pandals simple.
“There is no theme for our pandal. We are keeping it simple but elegant. Devotees can gorge on delicacies and enjoy the cultural programmes but we are not spending too much on big artistes and decorations,” said R Majumdar, President, MB Road Puja Samiti, Pushp Vihar.
Hike in fuel prices and labour costs is affecting the coffers of organising committees, many of which do not wish to compromise on the grandeur of pandals or the pratima and are left grappling with steep budgets.
While the big Samitis are scrimping and saving to pull off the five-day festivities in style, pandals on a shoestring budget have no choice but to pare it down.
The spell of inflation has also triggered poor sponsorship with big sponsors taking a backseat. From the idols of deities to the prasad offered, expenses of Durga Puja have shot up sky high. The hike in expenses related to the celebration has gone up three times. “Inflation has almost tripled our budget but we did not want to compromise since it is our centenary year and we wanted to make it a memorable experience,” said Anand Shankar Sengupta, Vice President, Timarpur and Civil lines Puja Samiti, which celebrates its centenary this year.