MANSI BHAMBRI/Dehradun
With the West Asia volatility having triggered LPG crunch, the people are adapting themselves to the lingering uncertainty, shifting from traditions to save cooking gas.
In Dehradun, the LPG cylinder shortage has led to a shift in fasting practices among devotees during Chaitra Navratri which has begun on Thursday and will conclude on March 27.
Deviating from the long-continuing tradition, devotees are opting principally for fruits and dry fruits instead of buckwheat flour Puri due to the lingering LPG crunch. They said that reducing LPG consumption is the key factor leading to this shift, making them opt for fruits and dry fruits as the preferred fasting meal choice.
One of them, Shalu Devi said that she observes fasting every year during Navratri. “This year is no exception. However, I have this year adapted to the LPG crisis, confining my meals to fruits and dry fruits unlike previous years when I would consume buckwheat flour Puris and Aloo Sabji among others. This is a compulsion, given the present LPG uncertainty,” she said.
Further, another resident, Vinod Kumar said that they are cautious this time about the least use of cooking gas. “I, along with my wife, have been observing the Navratri fast for years. This time, things are a little different with us. To save gas, we are consuming only fruits and dry fruits,” he noted.
Many other residents this correspondent spoke to said the same- their departure from traditional fasting and dependence on the non-gas-intensive options like fruits and dry fruits.
A few, however, told The Pioneer that the LPG shortage had forced them to forego fasting this time. “This does not feel good as we kept observing fasting during this festival for years. But I could not bring myself to depart from the tradition of consuming buckwheat Puris and boiled potatoes during this nine-day festival. So we have decided to forego it altogether while sticking to other things like visiting temples and offering puja to the Divine Mother,” said a resident who did not want to reveal her name.
