The drop in the number of Durga Pujas in and outside Bengal amid the novel coronavirus outbreak has taken the rhythm out of the lives of many dhakis (traditional drummers) who look forward to this festive season as their main source of earnings in the year.

For thousands of dhakis from the state it was a ritual to get calls from Durga Puja organisers outside Bengal to perform at their pandals.

But the Covid-19 outbreak put the world on pause.

In the new normal, most Durga Puja committees in states outside Bengal have decided not to organise the festival this year, a decision that has left the dhakis staring at a loss of income in an already tough year.

Sources said thousands of dhakis from Bengal districts like East Burdwan, Birbhum, Purulia, Bankura and Hooghly would in other years travel to states such as Assam, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh to perform at Durga Puja pandals and get higher pay than what they would have got in their home state.

As most of these dhakis work as farm workers through the year, this extra money was most welcome.

“If puja organisers in Bengal pay us Rs 5,000 for our performance during Durga Puja, we get between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 from organisers outside the state,” said a dhaki preferring anonymity.

He added that till last year he used to perform at a Mumbai pandal. He did not get a call from Mumbai this year because the organisers cancelled the community puja in the wake of the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra.

Bablu Das, a seasonal dhaki from East Burdwan’s Kalna, would go to Mumbai during Durga Puja every year for the past 11 years. The rest of the year, he ekes out a living as a farm worker.

The extra income during Durga Puja — Bablu earned a handsome Rs 25,000 last year — helped him fund his children’s education.

Bablu will miss this money, he said, as that particular community Durga Puja in Mumbai is not happening this year. “Organisers would give me a fee of Rs 25,000, pay for my travel, food and stay in Mumbai,” Bablu recalled wistfully. “The fact that all this won’t happen now is another blow for me in the lockdown year.”

Every year, a group of 30 dhakis from East Burdwan’s Kalna got called to perform in Mumbai. This year only one among them has been invited. The lucky man, Prasenjit Das, boarded his flight to Mumbai on Monday.

“I was in distress till I received the call from organisers late last month. The money I earn during Durga Puja helps my family survive for at least four months. This year, cash is important because all of us could not earn much throughout the year,” Prasenjit said.

Some dhakis said that though they could not travel outside Bengal, they were still lucky if they got calls from Bengal puja organisers.

When budgets are low, organisers play recorded beats of the dhaki in pandals. However, several organisers in Bengal have decided to go ahead with dhakis to add the traditional fervour to festivities with the state government offering a dole of Rs 50,000 to each puja committee.

Malay Das, a dhaki from Kalna, said he did not get a call from Assam, where he habitually went, for Durga Puja this year. But he is lucky enough to beat the festive drums for a community puja in Kalna itself, he added. “I will at least earn Rs 5,000,” Malay said.