Durga Puja may be a low-key affair this year because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but there is still a silver lining.

Thousands of professionals, who mostly work in the IT industry in cities like Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Gurgaon, are spending the puja with their families here.

“In the past four years, I missed pandal-hopping with friends as I would do when I was at school. Memories of Durga Puja celebrated here would make me emotional. Even while in engineering college, I would enjoy when I returned home for the pujas. However, ever since I moved to Bangalore, I missed celebrating with my family,” said K. Sagar, an IT professional.

“Fortunately, this year, I am with my family,” Sagar added.

The 28-year-old resident of Bistupur said the pandemic not only gave him and others like him the chance to celebrate Durga Puja with their families, but also will allow him to take part in Diwali festivities at home.

Vinita Singh, another IT professional based in Pune, echoed Sagar.

“In the past three years, I celebrated Durga Puja by visiting restaurants and moving around with colleagues in Pune. I would miss the festivities back home a lot. But this time, I was blessed to celebrate Durga Puja with my parents at home,” Singh said.

A resident of Kagal Nagar in Sonari, Singh said that though revellers are missing the pleasures of pandal-hopping and bhog, she is having a good time with her family members.

As per an estimate, over 5,000 youngsters who were working in big cities are back home after a lockdown was imposed on March 24 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Significantly, all those IT professionals returned to the steel city and are working from home.

The situation, the professionals say, may not change soon.

“I will have to continue to work from home till a Covid-19 vaccine hits the market,” said Amit Ghosh, a 28-year-old resident of Mango.