One of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is in the way festivals will be celebrated this year. In Kolkata, some Durga Puja organisers have announced that they will have drive-in pandals to discourage crowds and implement social distancing norms.
Meanwhile, celebrations for this year's Ganesh Utsav have already begun.
Instead of installing a Ganesh idol, the famous Lalbaug Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Mumbai are celebrating the fest with &lsquoArogyaotsav&rsquo (a health festival) and hosting plasma donation camps. Along with them, many other Ganeshotsav mandals are also celebrating &lsquoArogyaotsav&rsquo with pandemic related activities.
Mumbai devotees can also check out the online &lsquodarshan&rsquo and &lsquoarati&rsquo of the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai on their YouTube channel.
According to a statement by the Maharashtra Government, the Ganpati idols in local pandals and housing complexes have been kept between 2-4 feet instead of the huge ones we see every year.
In Bengaluru, the entire event has been shifted online. The 58th edition of the festival can be seen live on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube from August 22 till September 1.
According to a statement published by Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha, the worship of
Lord Ganesha is taking place at the mandap of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Basavanagudi. Devotees can visit the mandap following strict rules of social distancing and
other safety norms.
The daily puja is being telecast live on social media along with the 10-day long cultural programme. Some of the programmes on offer include a folk rock music concert by the Raghu Dixit Project, fusion music by Chakrafonics, a programme dedicated to Kishore Kumar, a live concert by Vijay Prakash and an event on the evolution of music by Sangeeta Katti and troupe.
In Pune, the famous Dagduseth Halwai Ganpati Temple is holding the 10-day Ganeshotsav inside the temple premises for the first time in 127 years instead of the usual site at the Kotwal Chawdi. The pandemic has prompted this decision as the health of devotees has to be taken into consideration this year. Devotees can head to their website for live darshan of the Ganpati Puja.