An 86-year-old south Calcutta Durga puja committee has decided not to hire a theme artist - a regular practice among city pujas- and instead donate the money to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for coronavirus.

Residents of the area will be in charge of the puja's theme this year.

Theme artists hired to design the look and feel of a puja charge anything between Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

Members of the Mudiali Club—one of the few pujas that don’t survive on political patronage—have decided to hand over an amount equivalent to an artist’s remuneration to the government. The club members have already handed over Rs 2 lakh to officers of Tollygunge police station.

The decision was taken on Saturday evening after a discussion in the club’s official WhatsApp group. Some members suggested that individuals should contribute without disturbing the puja funds, the core committee took the call of doing away with a “theme maker”.

“We have spoken to our sponsors as well. We will be donating more money as and when we can,” said Manoj Shaw, the secretary of the club.

Residents willing to contribute to the relief fund have also been asked to transfer the money to the club’s account. The club shall, in turn, hand over the accumulated sum to the government.

“This year our members and residents of the area will come up with the theme, which will be executed by local decorators. This is how things were done before theme-makers came and we had bagged several prestigious prizes during that time,” Shaw said.

Low-budget clubs have also risen to the occasion. Sovabazar Burtolla Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samity in north has sacrificed its inaugural ceremony and donated the expenses to the state’s relief fund. The committee, which survives on subsrciptions from residents, has contributed Rs 15,000. “We are willing to compromise on the illumination around our pandal and donate the amount we save,” said Sayan Nandi, club secretary.

Members of the 88-year-old puja committee have been discussing how to adjust the expenses so that more money can be donated in future.

Several other Durga puja committees across the city have come forward to help the government in its fight against the Covid-19 outbreak. A group of organisers have already donated Rs 2 lakh was donated to the relief fund.

Forum for Durgotsav, a joint body comprising about 400 puja committees. There are five zones under the forum's banner. “We have asked puja committees to stand with the people and spread awareness in their respective zones,” said Saswata Basu, the forum's general secretary. “Puja starts on October 22 this year. We have enough time to decide how to go about it. But the task at hand is to fight coronavirus and we are doing it.”