Silchar Ramakrishna Mission gearing up for Durga Puja; Will offer Khicuri Prasad, check vaccination status of devotees

The mood inside Ramakrishna Mission, Silchar is that everyone is very busy. The air is filled with the perfumes of Durga Puja. This is that time of the year when people are buying new clothes gifting them to relatives and making their Puja plans. The Ramakrishna Mission management is well aware of the fact that a Puja plan is incomplete without a visit to the Mission. Some like to start Puja plans with the Ramakrishna Mission and so they visit on the occasion of Maha Saptami while some prefer making it the last stop. The management is expecting 35,000 devotees to turn up during the three days.

“We will follow the COVID protocols laid down by the government of Assam. Once the devotees enter the Ramakrishna Mission premises, they will be our responsibility. We will check if they have taken both doses of vaccines or at least one dose at an earmarked counter. There will be a sanitiser box where once one enters will come out sanitised,” Swami Ganadhishananda Maharaj, Secretary of Silchar Ramakrishna Mission.

As they step out of the Sanitiser box, the devotees will stand in a queue maintaining a gap between each other. “They will walk into the temple and offer their prayers to Thakur, Maa and Swamiji (Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda) and walk towards the new building where Goddess Durga will be worshipped this year like it was done last year. This new building is a charitable dispensary in the making,” he informed.

For most of Silchar, Durga Puja is incomplete without Pushpanjali (floral tribute) to Goddess Durga in Ramakrishna Mission. Swami Ganadhishananda Maharaj, Secretary of Silchar Ramakrishna Mission informed that they will start Pushpanjali at 8:00 am in morning. He urged the devotees to remain patient as owing to the current COVID situation, only a few devotees will be able to offer Pushpanjali in one go. “We will do it several times so that everyone is able to offer Pushpanjali,” informed Swami Ganadhishananda. For the Pushpanjali, the Ramakrishna Mission Silchar management has requested devotees to bring flowers if possible otherwise, those will be provided in the Mission premises.

Durga Puja in itself is special for Bengalis across the world. Once in a year, Bengalis in all corners submerge in devotion and celebration. More than a religious congregation, it is a festival when families and friends reunite. One of the iconic moments within the festival, for the people in Silchar, is to taste the ‘Mahaprasadam’ which is ‘Khichuri’ (A dish in South Asian cuisine made of rice and lentils) of the Ramakrishna Mission. Last year, due to COVID, only raw fruits were offered as Prasad. “This year Khichuri prasad will be made available for all,” informed Swami Ganadhishananda Maharaj, Secretary of Silchar Ramakrishna Mission.

However, it is not going to be like earlier years where one sat on a chair and ate inside the temple premises. “Instead of plates, we will use aluminium foil boxes. Along with the Khichuri, we will provide chutney, sweets among other things including a spoon. Prasad will be packed and one can take it home. But for the ones who want to eat it, they will have to walk to Silchar Collegiate School and we have made an arrangement there,” Swami Ganadhishananda added. Arrangement of drinking water will also be made in Collegiate School premises for the devotees. The Ramakrishna Mission management is also planning to provide parking space for two-wheelers inside the Collegiate School located right opposite.

A waiting shed will be built inside the Ramakrishna Mission premises for the devotees to wait. Devotees can donate clothes and fruits for bhog at the counter. There will be a separate counter for financial donations. However, Swami Ganadhishananda has urged the devotees willing to donate money to bring their Permanent Account Number (PAN) along. “We don’t need a copy of the PAN Card, just the number is enough. They can bring the PAN noted in their mobile phones if they don’t have it memorised. The government has made it compulsory to note the permanent account number of each devotee donating money,” informed Swami Ganadhishananda.

The number of devotees visiting the Ramakrishna Mission had dropped to 8,000 last year. COVID devastation had paralysed the festive mood. The devastation has not been any less this year when the second wave had hit like a Tsunami. But the spirit is high, the mood of the nation has changed as Indian intends to collectively return to normalcy, albeit with caution. Durga Puja 2021 is more than a religious festival. It has promised to be a leap towards the recovery of mental health, economy and innovation. Ramakrishna Mission is gearing up for a grand Durga Puja with thousands of cautioned, vaccinated devotees. “As India is setting new vaccination records and COVID numbers are improving, it is likely that the worst is behind us. We will remain cautioned and follow the protocols. This is all that we can do and the rest is up to Thakur,” Swami Ganadhishananda Maharaj concludes.