With only few days remaining for the start of the Durga Puja, the city is busy fighting the nature. Nagging rain for the last 96 hours has dampened the festive spirits in the State especially in the capital.
The downpour has not only slowed down the pace of the preparation related to the puja pandals but it has also put breaks, on shopping spree, which is one of the most important aspects of the puja.
People of the city are unable to come out of their houses due the constant rain and their testimonies are the shops. Till this time in past years shops of the city used to be filled with customers but, this year they have not received such crowd till now. “This year the business has not kicked off that well due to Indra Devta. We pray and hope that the rain stops, so that we can earn some profit in this Durga Puja” said Ramesh Singh, owner of a cloth store in Ratu road.
During Durga Puja, shopping becomes a sort of culture. An excitement can be seen on the faces of people, especially the children. But, this year the patience of this excitement is being checked by nature as people are unable to get out on holidays also due to rain. It has not only dampened the excitement and earnings of people but it has also made the work of the thousands of artisans working under different puja samities, to make this Durga Puja a sight of delight for the devotees tougher. They are working round o’ clock as they are very close to their deadline and rain has slowed their pace.
If the weather remains the same for some more days it may play havoc in this Durga Puja. “The rain storm has come due to the cyclone that occurred in the Bay of Bengal. Its effect can be seen in States like Bihar and Orissa. But, it is concentrated the most in Jharkhand,” said Nitish Priyadarsi an Environmentalist.
“The people of the state can get some sigh of relief from the second half on Thursday,” he added.