Durga idol in Kolkata sports silver mask, holds sanitisers to spread awareness on COVID-19

Guwahati: A Durga idol sporting a silver mask that weighs more than four grams and all 10 hands of which held sanitizers instead of the weapons and flowers has now been witnessed in West Bengal!

This unique idol was revealed on Monday, August 17, during Khuti puja, which is a customary ritual before the bamboo scaffolding of a puja pandal is put in place of the model. The idol was unveiled by a Durga Puja Club in West Bengal's Kolkata.l 

With the imminent uncertainty hovering over West Bengal's biggest festival - Durga Puja - due to the pandemic, this idea of the idol appears as an innovative theme to give a message on COVID-19 outbreak.

Khuti puja is traditionally performed on a wooden frame on which the clay idol is built and is usually performed on Ulta Rath, but this year, like many festivals, it too was delayed due to coronavirus.

This latest display has come amid rising COVID-19 numbers in the Eastern Indian State. As per the Union Government's latest health bulletin, West Bengal has a total of 27,299 active COVID-19 infections.

The state has also witnessed 86,771 recoveries and 2,428 coronavirus related deaths.

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