Ganesh Puja celebrations at Utkal University in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 1: Following the ban on the collection of donations from students as per the Right to Education Act, Ganesh puja celebrations in government schools across the state turned out to be a low-key affair this year. The idols were tiny and the decorations looked pale.

“With the guidelines in place, we have not collected any money from the students this time. The money collected from students of Classes IX and X was used to purchase the idol and arrange for the basic necessities for the puja. We were forced to compromise on quality,” said teacher Soubhagya Sahu.

Unlike previous years, it was a celebration without feasts — the major attraction for students.

“We had to do away with feast. The money collected was insufficient. Students had to manage with the prasad alone,” said Binayak Rath, another senior teacher

While high schools in the capital witnessed some activities, the scene was worse at primary schools, which wore an empty look.

In some schools, there were no celebrations at all.

“Last year, we had a feast. It was great fun. I don’t know why they did not arrange it this time. Each one of us had paid Rs 25 last year, but this year there was no collection,” said Sonam a student.

Earlier, arrangements for the rituals, decorations and the feast were made using money collected from the students. Owing to the shortage of funds, the schools appeared to have compromised on the size of the idol, decorations, quality of prasad and decorations.

“The idol is smaller and there is no music arrangement like last year,” said Jhelum, another student. Besides two major festivals — Ganesh puja and Saraswati puja —schools are supposed to organise Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti, an annual function and sports day, all out of the school development fund.

“It’s really difficult to manage expenses with the meagre funds we receive for the purpose. With the skyrocketing costs of essential items, organising these functions becomes very tasking,” said a headmaster on condition of anonymity.

It was even more disappointing for students of the block grant schools who went for the puja. With teachers on strike and school gates locked, these students had to return home disappointed.