Durga Puja or the celebrated Hindu festival deifying and venerating the warrior goddess Durga has an intrinsic connection with the Bengali people. It won’t be an exaggeration to proclaim that the warp and weft of this ten-day festival are intimately woven into the flesh and sinew of every Bengali soul. Thus, a big chunk of the population in the Eastern part of India looks forward to the festivities with great anticipation.

The year 2020 has put a dampener on all our hopes, goals, and aspirations. The COVID-19 pandemic fomented a vortex that engulfed every favorable aspect of our lives, triggering widespread depression and despondency. Lives have been lost, and the worldwide economy is crippled. Amidst such excruciating circumstances, it’s palpable that people need a ray of hope and possibly a diversion to keep them afloat and help them endure this ordeal. Celebrations like Durga Puja go a long way into instilling a sense of assurance and optimism into our lives, yielding the much-need mental strength to pass this storm.

Thanks to the forward-looking advertising agency Planmyad, who has come up with an avant garde idea that will ensure both safety and merriment in this novel celebration of this year’s Durga Puja. Planmyad has created a virtual platform called www.ePujo.in that will enable the masses to mill around the Durga pandals virtually. This online platform allowing the ground- breaking virtual pandal hopping experience is free to access for the public.