Traffic police in the West Bengal state's capital used loudspeakers to remind people about physical distancing, but in vain, although many people wore masks. The spectators jostled for a glimpse of a 145-feet (44-metre) high pandal designed as a replica of Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper, complete with a dazzling laser show. In Kolkata on Thursday, crowds flocked colourful "pandals", temporary structures where idols of the Hindu goddess Durga are installed during the festivities. It is also the time when people splurge on dresses, sweets, cars and other consumer goods - vital for fuelling the battered economy, the world's sixth-biggest. India's peak holiday season includes Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali - major Hindu festivals celebrated with noise, colour and exuberance across the country. Most activities are back to normal and India has administered almost a billion vaccine doses, with around 75 percent of people receiving at least one shot. The coronavirus is still claiming over 200 lives daily in the nation of 1.3 billion people but that is down sharply from the 4,000 fatalities in April and May.
KOLKATA: India's main religious festival season is back in full swing with huge noisy crowds thronging markets and fairs for the first time in two years, barely six months after a devastating Covid-19 surge. India's main religious festival season is back in full swing with huge noisy crowds thronging markets and fairs for the first time in two years.