In Kolkata, India, we are celebrating the biggest community festival of the land. Its called Durga Puja. There are plenty of restrictions but I don't know how beneficial that would be for stopping this pandemic. Should we stop celebrating community festivals, at least for the time being? Scientists and researchers are kindly requested to share their opinions.
Dear Mr. Roy
Yes. We have to stop the community festivals for time being. In Sri Lanka also we had to stop the activities relating Vesak festival, Kandy procession, New year celebrations due to this pandemic. Since the situation is getting worse, we have to do that. Since your country is at the moment suffering lot from this pandemic, we have to take actions to stop the community spreading and save the lives of the people.
Rangana Sri Shalika Wadippuli Arachchi
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread.
In West Bengal province of India, we celebrated our main festival, Durga Puja. To stop community spreading we were told to not visit the venues where the worshiping was being done. So far we have survived because of that. I cannot even imagine what would have happened if this prohibition would not have been employed.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
All community festivals is not possible, sharply closed. But it could be in a limited scale considering the present adverse situations.
Yes it should be stopped if large gatherings are there.
Maintaining all guidelines especially with masking and distancing, festivals can be celebrated with minimum participants. and/ or virtually.
But to minimize the risk of Corona infection, community festivals should be avoided.
Yes, no doubt on this. I feel people are too crazy and thinking Covid has gone, so they are celebrating but this is blunder. Surprisingly politicians are encouraging this. To control this all festivals to be stopped immediately.
M.K. Tripathi
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread. I agree with you. This year we should not be celebrating community festivals.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Festival is a part of social integrity. We should be cautious enough and adopt necessary preventive measures to check the community spreading of the disease.
Sagar Maitra
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I agree with your idea of celebrating festivals with proper preventive measures.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Shirshendu Roy
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I agree with your comment about the role of politicians. Though it is not the right platform to say this, yet I am sharing a personal opinion with you. These days I see politicians world wide poking their nose in everything. This is a dangerous trend.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Itishree Padhi
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. You have talked about avoiding large gatherings. I have seen that behavior of people change in gatherings. When they are alone, they still behave responsibly. When they are in a gathering, they are most irresponsible. When I go out in Kolkata, I see individuals wearing masks. But people who are in groups, move around the city without masks in a most arrogant manner.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Md. Abdur Razzak Choudhury
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I agree with you when you wrote about "limited scale". The problem is that most humans are not sure about the scale. They cannot control themselves, particularly during festivals. In Kolkata, I see millions going crazy during Durga Puja. I am not against celebrations. Even I like them. But during a pandemic, we have to not only think about ourselves but also about the world. I see hat missing and I am negatively amazed to see that.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes, celebrating community festivals often involves large gatherings, that increases the transmission risk of COVID-19.
Anamitra Roy , I believe yes, until COVID 19 pandemic is hopefully over.
Yes, it is better to avoid mass social gatherings by stopping the celebration of community festivals ...
Md. Shiblur Rahaman
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. Irrespective of national and religious backgrounds, it seems that we will have to stop celebrating community festivals.
Best regtards,
Anamitra.
Arvind Singh
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Sanaa N Al- Haj Ali
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
May be you are right Anamitra
but as responsible citizens we need to follow all guidelines religiously for the safety of every one as each one’ s life is now tied with others.
Further more, with unlock5 we are little relaxed to gather for community rituals like marriage and death rituals with 50 participants May be little more
But what we need to realize is that this corona infection doesn’t see who is to be infected and who is not
so each of has to be extremely careful especially while going out.
Itishree Padhi
Professor,
Thank you once again. I agree with you, we have to be extremely careful while going out.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Gopal Shukla
Professor,
Thank you for your contribution. Agreed with your point.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
The answer is yes - around the World community festivals have been cancelled for 2020. It seems likely that this will also be the case for 2021. The challenge for communities will be to ensure that they are ready when large gatherings become safe
David Gration
Hello Professor.
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I agree with your prediction about 2021.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
For the time being all kind of community festivals should be observed in a restricted manner. Thanks to the high court order for avoiding rush in the Durga Puja pandals
In my state i.e, Arunachal Pradesh we avoided the major community festivals during this pandemic like Solung, Etor, Mopin etc. The onus is upon the community to understand the present situation. our local CBOs take the initiative and the people around it follows. Just a thing of mutual understanding and leaving the religion and faith for some time.
Subir Bandyopadhyay
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I agree with you that the high court order to avoid rush in the Durga Puja pandals was very helpful.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Karo Jongkey
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I am very glad to hear about Arunachal Pradesh.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes, keeping in view of COVID-19 any celebration involving large gathering should be avoided in my opinion.
Sonika Kumari
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I respect your opinion and totally agree with it.
Many scientists were of the opinion that during the commencement of this second wave, we were not very careful about celebrating community festivals and that is hwy, this second wave created such tremors across the nation.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Dear @Anamitra Roy To safeguard long term survival interest of human community, "celebration" of community festivals should be prohibited.
Best regards, AKC
Arbind K. Choudhary
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I totally agree with you. The survival of the entire community is right now in our hands. So, we need to act responsibly. I initiated this discussion on 22 October, 2020, immediately after the Durga Puja. It is a very important festival for Bengalis like me. But last year, the Calcutta High Court ordered us to sit back at home and not go out during the Durga Puja. In order to respect that decision, we all sat back at home. Personally, I was very happy and respectful towards this decision.
I agree with you that if we do not behave responsibly now, then we are posing a threat to the existence of the human civilization.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes, social gatheribgs are tge short cut for rapid spread of contagious dseases like Corona . Better aviing social gatherings till normal conditions restore .
Presently, from what we observe in India, they are very much reluctant regarding the Covid-19 (Corona Virus) Pandemic so that they are commencing elections and different festivals. Now they understand the results of reluctantancy. Therefore, my opinion that if the corona pandemic exists significantly, then we should stop celebrating community festivals to minimize the infection. Because we have to remember that if we survive, we would have plenty of time to celebrate the festivals.
dr.pidigam Saidaiah and Biswajit Karmakar
Dear Professors,
Thank you for your respective contributions in this discussion.
I am writing this reply to both of you together. This is because there is a similarity in your viewpoints. I also, personally, agree with your views.
But there is a problem in stopping community festivals. Actually, in our Asian culture, all festivals are community festivals. So, if we are told to stop community festivals, that immediately means that we are being told to stop all sorts of festivals. Now, our social systems, psyche and choices are not really made for it and we took thousands of years to frame these. Hence, if we have to stop community festivals or festivals, then we have to change some habits which are as old as a few thousand years. This invites a lot of debates regarding human behavior. To change a habit that is a few thousand year old, we need some time. We cannot change it overnight but right now the situation demands us to change our habit overnight.
It will be great to learn your opinion about this.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Coping with the disappointment that you may not be able to mark an occasion in the usual way, particularly events which have special meaning, can be challenging. You may feel a range of emotions akin to grief and sadness, which is completely understandable. Accepting the reality of our situation without holding on to the hope that maybe things will return to ‘normal’ in time, can help. If you can reduce the gap between your expectations of the ‘perfect holiday’ and the reality of what’s possible, you can plan how to balance safety and celebration. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/celebrating-festivals-and-occasions-during-lockdown
Any decision to hold an event during the COVID-19 pandemic, no matter how large or small, should rely on a risk-based approach..... provided guidance on how such a risk-based approach can be taken. https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-small-public-gatherings-and-covid-19#:~:text=Any%20decision%20to%20hold%20an,approach%20can%20be%20taken.
Check https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html
No, but we need people to observe all the WHO guidelines while attending such festivals.
Ali A. Al-Homaidan , Kiprotich Kiptum and Umar Ashraf
Dear Professors,
Thank you for your respective contributions. I am writing this reply to all of you together because there is a similarity in what you have written in this thread. All of you have written that we should stop celebrating festivals to stop this pandemic. There is no doubt about what you have said and I totally agree with it.
But, right now, the pandemic has reached such heights in India that saving our lives is a very big challenge. So keeping that in mind when I lose a festival i.e. cannot celebrate the festival, the first thing that comes to my mind is that whether next year I shall stay alive to celebrate it. I am forty years old but this is what comes to mind. The pandemic, I am being repetitive, has reached such heights in this country.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Of course. It is necessary to avoid gathering and prevent spreading of virus...
Chinaza Godswill Awuchi
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
You have given a new direction to this discussion by adding points like celebration of festivals with advice from the professionals. I also want to thank you for the informative links that you have shared here.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes community gatherings in any form must be restricted to avoid spread of the infections. Infact the guidelines on one health approach by WHO needs to be followed for proper containment of infectious diseases.
Jelena B Popović-Djordjević
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion. I agree with what you have said.
Actually in my country, India, it is very difficult to stop celebrating festivals. Most of the festivals are a part of our religion and religion, I am sorry to say this, still now happens to be the lifeline of most Indians. Moreover, in festivals, we are supposed to invite our known ones and that usually is a huge list. That list generally would include the family, friends, well-wishers, relatives, neighbors, other known ones (if any). Thus, if we are to celebrate festivals in India, then we are never going to stop this pandemic. In fact, celebration of these festivals is a very important reason of such a severe surge in this country, during the second wave.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Certainly, celebrations and festivals with large gatherings should be stopped to prevent the transmission of the virus and reduce infections at the present time ... Thank you very much, Professor, for asking this guiding and guiding question that everyone needs at the present time.
Dear Anamitra,
I understand what you are saying. India is a big country with a lot of people and it is hard to control such situations.
For those who do not suppirt such events it is best to avoid it.
Regards, J
Esra Abdelzahra
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
Actually, I had framed this question in the Indian context. When this pandemic started and we were told to go ahead with social isolation, I was sure that at least we Indians are going to fail miserably in our effort to do so. You know, since our birth, we are told and taught to be with a lot of people around us. So, 'opposite of social isolation' is actually a normal habit of most Indians. In my city, when someone goes to the markets, that fellow usually takes 2/3 hours. Its not because that person was busy in buying things. Its because that person would go to the market, chat with a few known people, spent time playing carom or cards. Then that person will make an effort to buy the things for which he came to the market. Thus, for most people of my community, visiting the market is nothing less than visiting an amusement park. You can well imagine then how we celebrate our festivals. 50 people being invited is like celebrating a festival in a very small manner.
With these sorts of habits which have been developed over the years, we failed miserably with the COVID protocols and the result is for the whole world to see. We have created a lot of anti-records.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Umar Ashraf
Dear Professor Ashraf,
Thank you for your latest writing in this discussion.
You have given a beautiful direction to this discussion by writing about the measures taken in your nation to control the pandemic. I can understand how difficult it was to stop the Eid celebrations. Unfortunately, we have not been able to do so. In our case, science took a backseat. The result is for everyone to see. We have created a dangerous situation for ourselves.
So, the key element is sacrifice by not celebrating the festivals till the pandemic does not stop.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Sumanta Chakraborty
Dear Professor Chakraborty,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I totally agree with you. But the problem is that, we are not following what has been said to us. By doing that, we were hoping that we will escape the second wave. Today, every person that I interact with, blames the stars, the Gods, the Prime Minister, the other ministers, the Health Ministry officials, nature, the systems, the government, the society. We are blaming everybody, but we are not stopping to celebrate festivals.
Professor, I sincerely believe it from the bottom of my heart that man in this age has become one of the stupidest species on earth. When I know that doing something will harm me, I am repeatedly doing that. If it is not a sign of callousness, then what is it? When are we going to learn?
Please forgive me for the usage of some words that ideally I should not have written here. But everyday when I see the number of innocent citizens losing their lives, I am compelled to behave in this manner. Why is it that for two years we cannot stop celebrating the community festivals?
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Now it is up to us to take care of ourselves and then we will celebrate
Celín Pérez Nájera
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I agree with what you said. Actually, there is a difference in behavioral pattern of citizens of developed nations and developing nations. In many cases, I have seen, that citizens in developed nations can survive as independent units. In your words, 'they can take care of themselves'. But in developing economies that's not the case always. People find it difficult to take care of themselves. They are dependent on the government. For example, in India, most of us are dependent on the government, for anything and everything. So, in a country like ours, to a huge extent it rests on the government to stop people from celebrating community festivals. Sometimes we also need to be 'caned' by the government for stopping to celebrate community festivals. So, in many cases, you will see that in developing economies when the government is too liberal, then that invites problems for that country. This is what, in my opinion, is happening with our country.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Kannan RR Rengasamy
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I agree with your viewpoint regarding the topic of this discussion. The problem that a developing economy faces is that festivals are just not 'festivals' in such nations. There is a lot of economics involved with festivals. So, if we stop celebrating festivals then that immediately means that some people will earn less. For a developing economy like India, that just means a huge problem.
This is the reason that when we know that festivals or for that matter any sort of gathering nowadays may invite problems, still people are indulging in these. This is because they are dependent on these for their survival. They do not have any other option. I remember, in 2020, when I was framing this topic for discussion, we all were very worried about what will happen to Kolkata because of the Durga Puja celebrations. The Calcutta High Court stopped the celebrations. Probably that is the reason that many of us are still alive in this city. But that also meant that some people earned less in that period.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
The damages caused by Covid-19 to date worldwide are incalculable, taking into account that its true origin has not yet been determined, and it is very difficult to give clear information regarding the decision of the responsibility that can be attributed to a Country or Organization responsible for this “long crusade” that the International Society continues to face.
I believe that in the face of this Covid-19 that the world is suffering at this time, not only "massive concentrations" should be avoided, but we must focus our reaction on demanding that International Organizations that safeguard at least Human Rights and that a formal investigation be opened. The world continues to request a response for the damage that has been unleashed and that is still causing millions of infected people.
Vadim S. Gorshkov
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
You have given a new direction to this discussion by writing 'Many believe that participating in a religious ritual helps to avoid illness. This is not true. This attitude towards religion is very mercantile: I will pray, perform the rituals and receive benefits.'
I agree with your viewpoint. But it is true that many think this way only. I remember, last year when the respected Prime Minister of India called for a total lock down of this nation, one fine morning I was watching news in television. The channel showed that some people had gathered in front of a temple, somewhere in Central Avenue, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, to attend a prayer session. A policeman was passing from there. He send back all those people and also forced the temple trustee members to close down the temple. This action of that policeman was initially criticized by the people present there. They did so because they were thinking in those lines - 'Many believe that participating in a religious ritual helps to avoid illness. This is not true'.
What really impressed me about your writing in this thread is that it raised a new topic of discussion about the role of religion in controlling this COVID pandemic. It also provided us with a justification for many people's behavioral pattern regarding not stopping to celebrate community festivals even under such trying circumstances.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Juana Maria Arcelus-Ulibarrena
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
You have rightly pointed out that the exact reasons for this pandemic still remain unknown and there should be a proper investigation for that. The problem is that "who will bell the cat'. What I mean by that is that who will investigate and I say that because this pandemic has originated from places where everything is very mysterious. There are a lot of whispers going on in those places even after so many days, after so many lives lost.
Regarding avoiding of 'massive concentrations', as you have mentioned, I agree with your proposition. We have to be strict. In a developing country, the government needs to strike the right chord between being strict and being 'human faced'.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Vadim S. Gorshkov
Dear Professor,
Thank you for the information about so many countries. I consider it priceless as I have not been to the countries that you mentioned in your latest writing in this thread.
Regarding religion, I will just make one comment. All religions are most of the time based on scientific principles but with ages unnecessary materials get mixed with them. This happens because some unscrupulous people try to improve on the sales quotient and convert religions into a commodity. I strongly condemn the efforts of such unscrupulous people.
I totally agree with you that all mass events have to be limited nowadays. We (Indians) have to accept that these are different times that we are going through right now. If we can keep ourselves away from mass events, then soon we may be back to our good and old 'normal' days.
Thank you once again for your contribution in this discussion.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Amrit Kumar Mishra
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
Those who have got the 2 doses of the vaccine, they are protected against this deadly disease to a huge extent, but surely not to the fullest extent. So, there is a possibility that those people would also catch this disease. That;s why, it is difficult to allow even them to celebrate community festivals.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
If you are fully vaccinated, you can safely celebrate as you would have before the pandemic. If you're planning a gathering or thinking about attending one, make sure you're aware of any applicable state or local health and safety laws, guidelines, and regulations. It's also important to think about the risks that each in-person event poses.
Theogene Hakuzweyezu
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I agree with what you have said. Actually, in India now there is a shortage of vaccines. For example, I am yet to be vaccinated. So, keeping that sort of a situation into consideration, most of us have decided to stop celebrating community festivals.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
I believe that it is our moral responsibility to reduce and limit these festivals because they cause an increase in injuries due to social convergence and the spread of the means of infection in them. We must have a sense of responsibility towards people and society.
Jinan Abdul Ameer Abbas
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
You have raised a very vital point by writing that it is our responsibility to reduce and limit these festivals. Unfortunately, not too many people understood that. I still now see a lot of people trying to go out in my city and that is when we are under partial lock down. Realization of responsibility would probably act as a source of genuine motivation to stop celebrating community festivals.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
I have slightly different perspective on this. Although it is absolutely not recommended to congregate for any sort of community festival or sporting event or events of that such, I believe the life and livelihood will be greatly affected by this for those or those families who solely depend on the earning from these occasions. For example, the community of Kumartuli actually earns from the Durga Puja by creating the sculpture-idol.
Hence, I believe the proper use of technology must be used (e.g., drone image of the pandels and sculpture-idol may be displayed over television or media) so that congregation is also restricted but people can carry on with their cultural heritage with sustaining the economy.
Samit Karmakar
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
Personally, I am also against any sort of congregation. But I am also differing from your opinion of using technology. In my opinion, reality can never be replaced by virtual anything. So, use of technology has its limitations. In such a case, we should be ready to sacrifice our enjoyment of attending community festivals. We need to sacrifice this for a few years.
Submitted to you respectfully.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes sir. I get your opinion.
But who would've thought the education will be virtual. So, we need to adapt according to the situation and accept the new-normal.
Samit Karmakar
Dear Researcher,
In a way, your opinion is also correct. Basically what you are saying matches with an old English proverb - 'half a loaf is better than nothing'. If we cannot get our share of reality, then we can do it with what technology will give us. Yes, that way, virtual everything can be accepted. It is true that prior to the commencement of the pandemic who would have thought education will become virtual.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes till situation improves. Small gatherings following all guide lines strictly is allowed under emergencies.
The entire second wave of Covid 19 in India is because of the relaxed measures against CORONA and the apathy of people towards social distancing. All because of large-scale festival celebrations. High time to stop this voluntarily or by force through government measures and guidelines
Itishree Padhi
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
What you have written is the ideal situation. Unfortunately, we did not go even close to the ideal situation in this country (India) and made it a total mess.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Preeti Oza
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I totally agree with what you have written here. Somehow, as a nation, we were not ready to accept the simple scientific principle that we should have been expecting and made ourselves ready for the second wave. Rather we were happy in our own world, which actually does not exist in reality.
So, I agree with you it is 'High time to stop this voluntarily or by force through government measures and guidelines'.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Sarvendra Pratap
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
When I framed this topic of discussion, I had framed it not thinking about one particular country. I framed it in the context of the world. But, since I am an Indian, I am being prompted to think from the point of view of India. I don't think that too many people are eager to stop celebrating the community festivals in India. As a result, the pandemic may be expected to go on for a long time in this country.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Isam Alkhalifawi
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your interest in this discussion.
I believe you have given your opinion about community festivals which are celebrated at a community level.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Community festivals play an integral part in building and sustaining communities. Wherever possible other means, including online and multiple smaller capacity/safe distancing options, should be investigated to enable the core essence of a community festival to survive until long-term safe staging solutions are found.
David Gration
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
In my belief, you have raised a very important point by writing that we need to avoid celebration of community festivals until 'long-term safe staging solutions' are found. This is not for always. Attaching a time period to stopping of celebration of community festivals, would make it sound acceptable to most people around the world.
Thank you once again for the very important raised by you.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Yes, at least for now, I believe covid-19 season shall pass, until then, "prevention is better than cure"
Md. Abdur Razzak Choudhury
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread.
The problem is that long hours of social isolation is creating a lot of pressure in our minds. That's why, some people are unable to control that pressure and taking up festivals to release it. Of course, it is not right to do so. I totally agree with you.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Oluwadara Pelumi Omotayo
Dear Researcher,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread.
I agree with you. We need to overcome this phase and then we can think of celebrating community festivals. Today, in India, we have a very important festival. It is the Chariot Festival. Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balaram and their sister Shubhadra are taken from their house, to their aunt's house by a chariot. In our local language, this festival is called 'Rathyatra'. Every year, during this festival, millions of people assemble at the coastal city of Puri which happens to be the epicenter of this festival. This year, the government has cancelled this festival. I am feeling a little sad about that. It is a very important day in our calendar. But we had to do this.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Definitely we should avoid public gathering and breach of covid appropriate behaviours.
It is difficult to discontinue religious traditions and celebrations, so easier and safer electronic /Tele ways to celebrate should be used
We should avoid public gatherings instead of restricting the celebration of festivals. One can celebrate festivals with their family members.
Rajwinder Singh
Dear Professor,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread.
You have raised a vital point that we can celebrate festivals with our family members. That means we can celebrate festivals even while being at home. Just this morning, I was discussing about this with one of my colleagues. We were discussing about how to keep the house nice and clean so that we don't get bored while being inside our houses.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
follow Odisha(an Indian state) govt measures in organizing last two Car festivals(RathYatra_one of the world famous festival) during pandemic (2020 &21)..also see below link...
https://english.webdunia.com/article/hinduism-festivals/odisha-govt-allows-rath-yatra-only-in-puri-bans-pulling-of-chariots-in-other-places-121061000029_1.html
Radhikesh P. Nanda
Dear Professor Nanda,
Thank you for your contribution in this discussion.
I agree with you that all of us should follow the way the Chariot festival is being observed in Odisha. Yesterday, I was also watching it on television. This is model for the whole world.
I would suggest you to please see how the same festival was followed in West Bengal, India. In many places like Mahesh, Hooghly district, the festival was cancelled. In Kolkata also, the festivities were minimized.
Best regards,
Anamitra.
Thank you Prof Anamitra Roy
Even local devotees observed the festival through TV. The Chariots were pulled by a limited number(3000) sevayat (servitors) with RT-PCR _ve report besides vaccination certificate. Not only that people of Odisha supported the govt.(more than 5Lacs devotees generally pull the chariots @ famous Rath Yatra every year).
Hope before forthcoming Durgapuja, our lovable WB people get vaccinated and enjoy the Puja with COVID 19 SOP....
Good wishes...
Dr Shubhi Agarwal
Dear Researcher Agarwal,
Thank you for your contribution in this thread.
You have mentioned some important points that should be remembered by us while celebrating festivals. The problem is that public memory is very short. That's why, we forget what we are supposed to do. As a result, the government has to come forward and stop the festivals.
I agree with you. It is our responsibility to behave responsibly.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.