Monarose Sheila Pereira speaks to people from different walks of life and discusses their views about low-key celebrations during festival time this year

India is a land of festivals, which are celebrated with great pomp and panache but his year the Indian government has put restrictions on celebrations due to the lockdown.

Over to the voices of those whom I spoke to…

In Kerala, a priest wrote to the CM saying that as alcohol was not available for two months, people had got used to its non-availability and therefore the time was right to ban it completely!

It got published!

So a gentleman also wrote to the CM that since all congregations of a private and religious kind had been banned for two months and it had not made any difference to human beings; all religions should be banned and all the places of worship should be converted to bars with social distancing.

The government would earn shit loads of money in the duties levied! 

Festivals and celebrations are part of our human experience and we can't wish them away altogether. That would make for a drab, colorless life. But of late in this country, we've tended to go overboard with noise, rivalry, and garish, wasteful expenditure. Shouldn't we tone down celebrations, and see instead that every citizen has access to food, clothing, shelter and gainful employment? That would be a celebration indeed!

India is a festival country; every month there are festivals. Due to diversity in our country we have many celebrations taking place one after the other and in these celebrations we meet our loved ones. At the time of this pandemic, it is the responsibility of not only the government but also of the people to take care of themselves and their surroundings. Thus, it is important for the government to set some rules for its people so that we can be safe and happy inside our homes. It is of key importance for the government to keep its public's health and security a priority.

It is the rightful duty of the government to keep low-key celebrations at least for now looking at the current scenario. Social distance is not required at times of festivals but physical distance is.

I am not in favor of starting small celebrations for festivals. It is unsafe and there’s no reliability of social distancing being maintained. We are an overcrowded country with little systemic regulations and regard for rules. This would not help us in handling the number of cases.

The government has issued orders to have low-key festivals due to the virus. This COVID situation upset a lot of things; so I guess go low-key for now till this virus is off from the planet.

During monsoons there are lots of water puddles and roads would be mucky; which means distancing and lesser means of hygiene. Therefore it is better to maintain social distancing and wear masks and also get the place sanitized. This will benefit the people too.

All festivals have been celebrated with restrictions this year due to the lockdown. Our festivals teach how one should be well connected with family, poor, needy relatives and society. In this COVID-19 situation, there is a black shadow over all the communities’ festivals.

This year we will see low-key festivals as the entire planet battles with this Corona pandemic. It is important that people don't gather in large crowds, as that would increase the rate of infection. As responsible citizens of this country we must avoid large crowds, but that doesn't mean that we do not celebrate the festivals. Instead of being on the roads and crowding, we can celebrate with the same enthusiasm in our own houses with our families. As Indians we are very passionate about our festivals and this time too it does not have to be too different. Just stay at home and celebrate the festivals with the same energy and excitement as we have done in the past.

Let us stay safe and enjoy our beautiful festivals with the same vigor but in the safety of our homes.