Covid casts shadow on Ganesh Chaturthi

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, August 22

The Covid pandemic has cast its shadow on Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. While the sculptors are waiting for devotees to purchase idols of Lord Ganesh, the sale of flowers has also witnessed a drastic fall in comparison to last year.

As per the artistes, due to the Covid pandemic, several restrictions have been imposed and mass gathering is not allowed. They said that earlier, they used to get orders in bulk, but now they haven’t received any big order.

Moreover, artistes from other states like Rajasthan, Bihar, UP and MP have come here in very small numbers this year to sell idols. Only a few stalls were seen in the city in comparison to last year when stalls were there in every nook and corner.

Ramesh, a flower seller, said that earlier, they used to get orders of flowers in large numbers, but now, they are getting very few customers prior to the festival.

“People are turning up in very small numbers here due to Covid. I used to bring 500 idols from Rajasthan every year, but this time, I have brought only 100 idols,” said Parkash, an artiste from Pali in Rajasthan who is waiting for customers on the footpath near Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Chowk, Sector-12.

Till last year, he used to get orders from the residents of Karnal a couple of months prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, but this time, nobody has ordered in advance, he added.

Another artiste Akash of the city said due to several restrictions, they were witnessing a fall in sales.