Assam Durga Puja festival has also acquired a subdued colour after the sudden death of the popular singer-composer Zubeen Garg on September 19 in Singapore. Even as the traditional rituals are underway, most organisers have cancelled cultural programmes and mass celebrations as a token of respect.
According to the officials of different puja committees, the rituals held every year are significant, but the mood at the state level is depressing, and they were not able to celebrate the festival in all its splendour. “The sudden death of Zubeen Garg has taken the whole state by storm. We had almost finished with arrangements for the celebrations, but we have resolved to make it simple, said Rajib Kalita, the organiser of the Geetanagar Durga Puja Committee that had allocated a budget of 1 crore towards the event. This year, the marquee was based on a Buddhist temple theme.”
The platinum jubilee Maligaon Kalibari Durga Puja Committee scaled down its activities too, cancelling all its cultural programmes planned to be held during the four days. On the same note, the rationalisers of the Guwahati Sarbojanin Durga Puja in Latasil affirmed that only religious rituals would be practised. Zubeen Garg’s pictures are left all around the pandals, and his songs are being played in honour of him.
Fans lamented the death of the singer. School teacher Anindita Bhattacharya said, “Goddess only comes once a year, therefore I came to pray, but the death of Zubeen has created a vacuum in our lives.” College student Tridisha Goswami put in with an emotional note, “This is the first Durga Puja that I have not purchased any new clothes.”
Since Monday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been going around pandals in and around Guwahati to pay his prayers. To make the festival a well-respected event, the Assam government has provided 7,817 Durga Puja Committees with ₹10,000.
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