With Durga Puja around the corner, it is time for everyone to be busy, from the artistes who perform, the artisans working on the pandal and the idols, decorators, advertisers, organisers to everyone else associated with the biggest festival in Bengal and one of the largest spectacles in the world.

But not this time! The rape and murder of a trainee doctor inside a hospital has evoked mass sentiments and it has cast a shadow around the festivities. But the people who earned some extra profits this year haven’t been particularly good.

With many puja organisers curtailing budgets to show solidarity with the rape-murder victim and her family and in a protest mood, the business has taken a hit.

Musicians usually have chock-a-block schedules with performances lined up in India and abroad.

Singer Iman Chakraborty, who usually has her calendar booked around this time, says shows have been either cancelled or postponed. “Work for everyone in this entertainment industry has taken a hit. The situation is not very encouraging. Many think that people like us from the music industry are showpieces, who are only for entertainment. Entertainment is very important; without it, society cannot survive. Entertainers, who are creators, are very powerful. I have also been on the streets to protest. But now, I have decided to protest through my music,” said Iman.

She says shows abroad are happening. “Fortunately for me, I will be performing in Canada. But I have come to know that shows have been cancelled in the US. Within the country too, the number of shows has gone down. Usually shows start from 15 August. One of my shows has been postponed. I don’t know what will happen in November or December. I hope people will be more sensitive towards artists,” she said.

Musician Siddhartha Chatterjee says his one show has been cancelled. “We have five shows lined up in the US. But one of the hosts is contemplating if the show should be held or not due to the present situation. We do not know what will be the outcome. Our tickets have been booked; visas stamped. Another one in Texas has been cancelled,” he said.

Siddhartha says for musicians this is the time when they get major shows. “We used to have shows during Vishwakarma Puja, apart from a few fairs. But nothing happened this year,” he added.

Siddhartha said musicians are afraid to come out of their homes. The music industry has been hugely affected. People associate music with fanfare and with entertainment. But there are so many people associated with the industry. For them this is their bread and butter, said the musician.

Another major aspect of Durga Puja is outdoor advertising, which is all pervasive during the festive days. It also translates into big money.

Consider this: There are around 3,300 pujas in the city and the figures cross 41,000 across the state. The majority of them indulge in outdoor advertising. Around 1.5 lakh people are involved in various forms of advertising work and experts say around four per cent of the state’s GDP is dependent on Durga Puja.

Yadav Sen, director, of Catalyst Ad and Events, who says he has pioneered the tunnel concept in pandals, feels that the negative sentiments have affected work for many in the advertising industry. “Just as I want justice, I also want enough work for the labourers and artists working with me. It is true that many clients cancelled orders after this incident. But the good news is that many orders are coming back of late,” said Mr Sen.

He says he has a team of 160 people working 24×7 during the last couple of months. Each worker earns anywhere between Rs 60-70,000 during these two to three months, which they invest in farming and manage other sundry expenses for the whole year, says Mr Sen.

“Tailors and housewives work overtime to stitch garments during these 2-3 months and earn some extra cash. There are more than 10,000 families involved in shola work. West Bengal is also the state which is the biggest supplier of lotuses. And, many flower growers make a windfall during this time. My point is, if there is curtailment in the budget and spending, all these people get affected for no fault of theirs,” said Mr Sen, adding, “Many dhakis (drummers) have lost work as many puja committees have curtailed their budget and they have preferred to play recorded drum beats.”

Mr Sen points out that the picture is not as bleak as it may sound for outdoor advertising, as most of it has gone digital, with LED panels coming into the picture. “This year, around 1 lakh sq ft LED will be on display in the city. The per sqft rate for LED is Rs 100. So, it is Rs 10 cr for a day and Rs 60 cr for six days. Considering this figure, how can we say that the business is bad this year? Some people are trying to paint a bad picture. We want Durga Puja to be apolitical,” reveals Mr Sen, who is associated with around 180 pujas across the state.

Sudipta Chanda, media planner and event organiser too is feeling the pinch of the protests.

“We do publicity and planning on the basis of events. If the events are less, our scope of work also gets limited. During this time of the year, a lot of creative work is done, exploring the sentiment and culture of Bengal. With the curtailment of the budget, this aspect is affected. Durga Puja also involves artists from various fields coming together, the lighting experts, drummers, decorators, folk artists etc etc. If there is any scale down in its proportion, everyone gets affected. Why are we against singers performing shows in the aftermath of the RG Kar incident? Song and dance have been intrinsic to our way of protest. For artists, shows are their bread and butter. Unfortunately, a singer is trolled if he is holding a show,” said Mr Chanda.

He cites examples of Sound of Autumn, a show by musician Debajyoti Misra, which was held back in the aftermath of the incident and Joy Sengupta and Lopamudra Mitra’s show, which was cancelled.

Even app-cab drivers are complaining about the loss of business compounded by the flash protests on the streets. “Usually, the two months running up to Durga Puja are the months when we do brisk business, earning up to Rs 3,500 a day but this year I’m struggling to get the Rs 2,500 per day mark,” said a cab owner.