The closed Bijanbari market on Tuesday morning. The shops opened in the afternoon. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Oct. 25: Bijanbari tried to limp back to normality with shops opening for the first time this afternoon after Saturday’s footbridge collapse that killed 32 people but the town and the surrounding areas will have a low-key Diwali tomorrow.

Yogendra Rai, a resident of Bijanbari, said: “Even this morning, most of the business establishments were shut. But later during the day, traders started opening shops for the first time since Sunday.”

The Bijanbari Merchant Association and the general public put up posters in town announcing that Diwali would be a very low-key affair tomorrow. The Nav Prabhat Sangh, an organisation in the Chayanpuri area in Bijanbari has also taken a similar decision. Five of those who lost their lives in the Bijanbari tragedy were from Chayanpuri.

Diwali is usually celebrated with much gusto by the Nepali community. Tihar celebrations started in the hills yesterday with the Kag (crow) Tihar. While the crows, considered to be messengers of Yamaraj (god of death), were remembered yesterday, today was the day for dogs. On Kukur (dog) Tihar, dogs are given a bath, garlanded and fed in many parts of the hills.

Dogs are well treated today as they are thought to have the power to feel the presence of Yama and are said to guard his empire.

However, in Bijanbari and the neighbouring areas like Chungthung and Goke, a pall of gloom was palpable. There will be no fanfare in these areas tomorrow when the hill families are expected to worship cows. People will perform Laxmi Puja and every house is ready to be decorated with marigold and diyas (earthen lamps). But girls might not move around singing the traditional bhailo in Bijanbari tomorrow as it used to be during Tihar days.

The girls’ visit to every house in the traditional attire of chowbandi cholo is a key feature of Laxmi Puja celebrations. They are offered sel roti (traditional dish made of flour) and money as gifts and in turn, wish the families wealth and prosperity.

Men visit every household in the locality singing deaushuras and Goru Puja is performed on the fourth day of the festival.

Legend has it that King Bali lost his kingdom to Lord Vishnu but got permission to visit his subjects once a year singing deaushuras.

The festivities will be minimal elsewhere in the hills also as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has already appealed to the people to refrain from bursting crackers.

Bhaitika, the most important day of the Tihar celebrations, falls on Friday. A large number of families are expected to confine the celebration to a low-key affair. On this day, girls apply tilak on the forehead of brothers who visit their houses and extract a promise that they will be protected at all times.

Among the Gorkhas, the Newar community has the most elaborate programmes during the Tihar days. They make colourful mandaps on the floor with rice grains, rice flour, red paint and puffed rice. However, if there is death in the household in the year preceding the festival, there will no celebration at all for the family.

Asok visit

Former minister Asok Bhattacharya today visited the bereaved families in Bijanbari and demanded a thorough inquiry, either by the CBI or by a judicial officer, into the bridge collapse.

“Those who are guilty of negligence must be booked,” said Bhattacharya.