Navratri highlight: flu lessons

Organisers at Sankalp — the biggest mandal,featuring Falguni Pathak— are expecting a crowd running into thousands. Organiser Devendra Joshi said,“We are providing a special mouth spray to boost immunity against a host of communicable diseases. The spray,also used at the airport,will protect people from contracting the airborne infection for at least six hours.”

Many organisers argue that the swine flu panic has lessened and will not deter Navratri enthusiasts from enjoying the festival. “We had distributed 20,000 masks free to revellers during Dahi Handi and if needed,we will also provide masks during Navratri,” said Pankaj Kotecha,one of the organisers at Kora Kendra,Borivali.

Meanwhile,the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) maintains its advisor— people should try and avoid crowds. “We cannot stop any religious activities but appeal to the masses not to venture out in crowds. Like in Ganesh utsav,we are trying to promote our helpline with the organisers so that they can contact us directly,” said Manisha Mhaiskar,additional municipal commissioner.

Many big organisers continued to pull out of the nine-day revelry owing to many factors — 10 pm deadline imposed since 2001,security issue,economic slowdown,the possibility of rains and the swine flu scare. Many have cut down Navratri into a two-day affair.

“The real charm of Navratri as a festival of devotion is long gone. Navratri in Mumbai has been commercialised and the 10 pm loudspeaker deadline,terror threat and so on have prompted society Navratris. Now,there is one more factor adding to the woes of the organisers,” said Deepak Somaiya,an organiser.