Puja is a festival of love, happiness, joy and prosperity and it is also a time when we all meet our families and loved ones and celebrate that time with them. But now during this pandemic, it is not possible for so many people to assemble together. But we can enjoy our festivals through digital platforms like zoom, Google meet, etc…. The Puja pandals can give a meeting id and password on the banner of their Puja pandals so that people can join and enjoy Puja. And, there should be a website where the meeting id and password of all the permanent pandals should be given. So, that people should enjoy the Puja pandal hopping and can see the idols of God and Goddesses by entering into one by one pandal by their ID and password and they can also talk with their friends through chatting facilities of the app. People can also offer Pushpanjali to the idols of God and Goddesses through online by entering into the meeting at the time of Pushpanjali and performing the same rituals but at home, reciting the same words before the priest and giving a flower to them but in their own house’s temple. We have to celebrate all the days in the same way but in a different manner.

Most pandals organise dance, music and other cultural programmes. They can also do that program through online by booking the team of Dancers, Singers, etc and they will perform through online from their home but that artist should be paid because though he is performing from his home but the fact is that he is doing his work for which he was paid earlier by the organiser and offline also they can perform because there is no system of people entering into the pandal or gathering outside it and if somebody gathered outside the permanent pandals they should be fined by the authority of the pandal. It is also a fact that those people don’t have smartphones how will they see?? They can go to their neighbours who have smartphones and can see their or that sort of people should be allowed to enter the pandal but with proper sanitation and proper maintenance of social distancing and wearing of masks. 

And, those persons who don’t follow should be fined. It should also be remembered that any kind of money collecting for Puja should not be taken from poor people because they have no proper income in this pandemic situation and are also suffering from financial illness. And, the amount of money collected from all other people should also be decreased due to pandemic. And, this year Puja pandals can arrange food but only for people who don’t have enough income and are unable to buy their food. But, except such needy people, no other people should be allowed nor there should be a large gathering, making it difficult for the authority to maintain the protocols.

But no roadside pandals should be allowed this year. Also, no roadside food-shops be allowed this time, particularly near Puja pandals. Voice amplifiers should be at low profile to stop sound pollution. Large display screens may replace costly decorations.  And, this year there should not be any kind of unnecessary decorations on pandals rather than what necessary because due to this pandemic situation so many people are already suffering much in their lives for various reasons ( no food, no work, no income and even many people even don’t have enough money to pay their rents).

So this year instead of these decorations if we give money on those people then it will be very helpful to them and even God and Goddesses will also love the new way of welcoming them with love, care and kindness with one another then instead of hatred, jealousy and mentality of becoming the top most Puja pandal.

But this pandemic has helped us to apply that fact in our life which we all say and believe but never apply in our life that God is everywhere, in everything and in everyone. We, all, say this but this time we are going to prove that what we say, we not only believe that fact but also can apply this fact in our life when

  (Anwesha is a student of Class VIII, Silchar Collegiate School, Silchar and loves to write)