With the second wave of COVID-19 gripping Assam along with the rest of the Country, drum makers at Patshala in Assam’s Barpeta district seems to be in distress ahead of the Rongali Bihu season.
Drum makers in Assam’s Patshala fear imposition of lockdown, bringing back bitter memories of last year’s nationwide lockdown.
Drum makers in Assam’s Patshala suffered massive losses in the last Rongali Bihu session due to lockdown.
With rapid surge in COVID-19 cases in the Country and apprehensions of imposition of lockdown, bitter memories of last year’s lockdown in the Country have started to haunt the drum makers in Assam’s Patshala.
Moreover, with less than a week left for Rongali Bihu, the Assam Government has released a fresh set of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for the Bihu celebrations in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the State.
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“This year we have received only a handful of orders. However, compared to the last year, there’s an improvement in sales. Last year, I had to pay from my own pocket to the workers,” said one drum maker in Assam’s Pathsala.
“The usual rush that we witnessed in the previous years is not there this time owing to the second wave of COVID-19. However, we have managed to sell some products,” said Anil Das, owner of a drum shop.
