Durga Puja: The festival of homecoming inaccessible to differently-abled people

Durga puja – the biggest annual festival of West Bengal celebrates the victory of good over evil as Maa Durga slays Mahisasur to bring peace back to the world. This is the time when the ‘City of Joy’ Kolkata is completely decked up like a beautiful bride on her wedding day.

Adorned with jewels of light that are visible from the sky, themed pandals and beautifully crafted idols of Maa Durga, the city provides an extravagant experience of the traditions and culture of Bengal. This festival embodies women and the empowerment of women. This is the time the city becomes a center for cultural collaborations for artists who create fascinating pandals with exceptional themes. The city streets are crowded with people who come to visit these spectacles.

Unfortunately, very few pandals have been as inviting and as well-furnished as they should be towards people with special abilities whilst observing the COVID-19 protocols. The absence of handy wheelchairs, emergency medical facilities and emergency exit gates prevent the specially-abled from experiencing the Durga puja to the fullest.

Citing instances, most of the pandals have been lacking separate gates for entrance and exit and the majority have stairs without bannisters instead of ramps, which creates quite a hindrance for people on wheelchairs. The lack of Braille in pandals hinders the visually impaired.

One of the probable reasons why the Durga Puja pandal committees have not been able to cater to the disabled could be ignorance of what and how to arrange for them, keeping the ongoing pandemic scenario in mind. Organizers are not privy to what and how they can make their pandals equally accessible to differently-abled people. These puja pandals generally experience thousands of footfall every day. But due to the lack of diversity training for the puja committees required to manage such mammoth crowds and ensure a smooth pandal hopping experience for all, the pandals tend to become inaccessible even with special provisions like ramps.

Due to the massive crowd of spectators that congregate at the pandals, it becomes quite a hindrance for specially-abled people to move around freely and enjoy the special attractions of each pandal. Owing to the current pandemic, it has become extremely problematic even for the volunteers to assist them, much worse, if the volume of adult and sensible volunteers is less.

Seldom is it viable for the not-so-big budgeted puja committees to appoint well-trained professional volunteers to manage the overly enthusiastic crowd and make room for people with disabilities. We often have come across young volunteers who have offered to step in for crowd control management but have not been properly instructed on how to make differently-abled feel welcome. Their lack of substantial knowledge and training falters the entire situation.

Yet the transformation in making Durga Puja pandals more inviting towards the people with disabilities over the years has been quite positive. In 2018, one of the Durga Puja pandals dedicated its 73rd-year celebrations to visually impaired persons and held an initiative for eye donation. They also had a huge installation of the idol of the goddess, constructed with more than 20000 screws, welcoming visually challenged devotees and letting them touch and feel the facade of the idol. Both the sides of the pandal had panels embellished with Braille inscriptions of the Durga mantra and slokas, amidst bamboo and thread work. A special audio presentation was also put together for convenience.

At another pandal, the volunteers, in order to ensure that people with disabilities do not miss out on the pandal experience, held a medical camp and had an ambulance handy. The differently-abled visitors could right away use the VIP entrance and the volunteers were there to assist. But is it enough to have only a few pandals that showcase inclusivity and accessibility for differently-abled people?

According to a survey report, although some of the pandals have been disabled-friendly, 71% of the big banner pujas in Kolkata have fallen behind in providing adequate equipment and a common pandal-going experience for all. This goes against the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(RPWD) Act passed in 2016 and shows prominent discrimination against disabled people.

We have a long way to go to prioritize inclusivity. In order to efficiently manage the pandemonium that occurs due to massive crowds in the pandals, organizers can build separate queues and entrances and exit gates for people with disabilities which shall be of most help in case of an emergency. A separate time slot could also be assigned just for the specially-abled people when they could visit the pandals without any sort of impediment. Adequate usable wheelchairs and proper sitting arrangements should also be arranged to create ease of access.

It is essential to spread awareness among the general populous and the organizers of the pujas about inclusivity, sensitivity and tolerance to create a better understanding of the basic needs of the differently-abled population who also deserve to enjoy the puja pandals like their peers.

Although the Government has been repeatedly holding campaigns promoting accessibility to all, it is only we who can make the change happen the progress has been slow but there is always room for change. Maa Durga has always been the symbol of inclusivity and empowerment. It is time that her devotees also feel empowered with the equal and rightful opportunity to celebrate this once in a year festivity of love and joy.

The author is a diversity and inclusion SDG Ambassador, a Tedx speaker and a Public Relations specialist.