Snan Yatra, or Devasana Purnima, is an important ritual observed a fortnight before Rath Yatra.

In Puri, lakhs of devotees witness the ritual at the Lord Jagannath temple. In Calcutta, the occasion coincides with a puja that marks the beginning of the construction of Durga Puja pandals.

Not this year.

This Snan Yatra, held on Friday, saw Durga Puja committees discuss how they would organise the annual festival. The lockdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy have hit many corporate houses.

Most of them have been forced to cut down spending, casting a cloud on their sponsorship of big-ticket pujas.

“We used to organise a puja on our club ground on Snan Yatra every year,” said Kajal Sarkar, of Bosepukur Sitalamandir Puja Committee. “This year, we are not even sure when we would talk to our decorator. None of the puja committees is sure about their budget this year.”

Committee members would usually would turn up on their club premises with marigold garlands and a priest would perform a small puja amid cheers on Snan Yatra.

Families that organise Durga Puja at home would mark this day by dusting the old bamboo structure of the idols.

This year, in contrast, puja committee members wondered on a WhatsApp group whether it would be too ambitious to visit the artisans in Kumartuli towards the end of August to book idols.

Durga Puja this year starts on October 22.

Several puja committee members are trying to sound out their sponsors and advertisers. Most said the response is far from encouraging.

Calcutta celebrates around 4,500 community pujas, involving a budget of around Rs 3,000 crore, according to the Forum for Durgostav, an umbrella organisation of over 250 puja committees.

Medium to big-ticket pujas usually attract corporate sponsorships ranging between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 35 lakh.

“The slump is overwhelming and extends to all sectors. Who will want to pay for ads or banners and hoardings?” wondered Sandipan Banerjee, the convener of the Behala Notun Dal puja committee.

“There is no missing the message — all of us will have to bring down our budgets by 50 per cent.”

Several puja organisers said they were confident of pulling off a moderate show with two months of preparations. But the gloom must dispel and the state government must make necessary amends to allow visitors to pour out.

“Durga Puja will be held. That’s for sure,” said Saswata Basu, of Hatibagan Sarbojonin Durgostav Committee.

“But it will be devoid of the colours and the glitz. That’s for sure, too.”