Vigneshwara poojas in AP remain limited to indoors

VIJAYAWADA:  Festivities of Lord Ganesha started off on Friday in Andhra Pradesh, remaining limited to indoors and within premises of apartments, as per guidelines issued by the state government and AP High Court’s order that poojas remain confined to private premises with no more than five persons participating while fully observing Coronavirus protocol.

Last year, because the pandemic had been virulent, there were no open festivities. Poojas were confined to homes. This year, a few people and organisations had knocked the doors of High Court seeking permission to hold Vinayaka festivities in public places. The court refused to allow any public festivities.

As Covid infection cases had reduced to 1,500–2,000 per day this year from last year’s 20,000–25,000, people expected relaxations in conduct of the festival, like in neighbouring Telangana. But Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy chose to continue restrictions to check any possibility of Coronavirus resurfacing.

Vinayaka Festival Committee members K. Ramu and S. Ravi, however, tried to install a Ganesha idol in an open private place at Kanuru on Friday. But police did not allow them, saying it is an open area with no boundary walls. The organisers thus shifted the idol to the cellar of a nearby apartment.

Ganesh Utsava Sangham president M. Subramanyam said public pandals and Navarathri are synonymous with Vinayaka Chavithi. But for past two years, they had been forced not to observe these traditions. Subramanyam said with High Court permitted them to conduct Ganesh poojas in private places, majority of people performed poojas in their apartment complexes but with limited gatherings.

The Utsava Sangham president said people have been facing severe financial, mental and physical hardships due to Corona restrictions since past 18 months.

Hence, they have prayed for end of Covid-19 pandemic in the coming days.

Priest N. Srimannarayana said besides chanting of Vedic mantras and hymns during poojas, priests had prayed to Ganesh for the end of the Coronavirus.