Durga Idols Get Smaller, Puja Menus Slimmer: GST, Demonetisation Effect?

Kolkata: Durga Puja in Kolkata this time was all about Laxmi or money or rather the lack of it. And the villain of the piece? Many say it was demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax or GST. Budgets have been slashed as sponsors and advertisers didn't have money or were too busy meeting GST deadlines.

So idols are smaller, pandals shorter and even the menu for the bhog is feeling the pinch.

The devotion is undiminished. But at this FE Block Salt Lake Pujo for instance, organisers spent Rs 1.25 lakh on the idol last year. This year they have had to cut back to Rs 85,000. Even the pandal housing the goddess has had corners cut - from Rs 5.3 lakh last year Rs 4.3 now. 

Basab Basak, the head of the FE Block Salt Lake Puja Committee, said, "GST and demonetization have played havoc... last year our budget was Rs 22 lakh. This time our estimated budget is 18 lakh but it will finally go down to 13 lakh. So almost 10 lakh less than last year... Advertisers say their income has dropped so they have had to cut back."

One small example of the severity of the hit: a puja magazine produced by the block -- called a souvenir -- had 91 ads last year. This year, the number of ads has dropped to 56. The streets outside the pandal would be lined with hoardings and banners. This time, there is just a sprinkling with them. 

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Even pate pujo - the worship of the palate to put it politely - has been compromised.

Argha Basu of the food committee of BF Block, laments, "We would normally serve fish for lunch on two days of puja, this time...only one day." Kallol Dutta of FE block adds apologetically, "Small compromises have had to be made...Instead of two mithais (sweetmeats) we are giving one...it's a very sensitive matter."

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Economists have been talking about it for a while. Now traumatised puja organisers agree that demonetisation has hit the smaller ones harder hit than the mega pujos. The vendors who make the pandal or supply the light decorations or the idol have, this time round, mostly skipped GST. Most are small players. 

Amitava Sinha of Ballygunge Cultural Puja Committee said, "The GST situation for small vendors is still amorphous. No one is sure whether they are in the GST net or not. Guess by Durga Puja next year, things will be clear. That's when the actual impact of GST will be felt."

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Waving to 'dhakis', the traditional drummers you see at every pandal, Basab Basak of FE Block said, "Last year we had six men playing the drums. This time, only three have come. Apparently because the other three don't have enough money to buy a ticket and come to Kolkata from their villages."

"True, small pujos, small players have been hit most," said Anjan Ukil of Ballygunge Cultural. "Big pujas like ours... which are supported by corporates... we got Kavita Krishnamurthy to perform at our cultural event last time. This time, we couldn't afford a Bombay star. That's a pinch, really. The small ones have been punched hard." 

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A puja pandal visitor, overhearing the comments, piped up and said, "Does Ma Durga understand notebandi and GST? Is she telling us it's the economy, stupid? Is she joining us mortals to lament, it's all about the money honey. It has always been."