While Kolkata awaits the start of the Durga Puja, unprecedented heavy rains swallowed the city, dampening the festive spirit. Durga Puja in Bengal is usually marked by humid heat, but this year incessant rains – the heaviest since 1986 and the sixth-highest single-day rainfall in 137 years – have taken the state by surprise.

At least 10 people were killed, nine due to electrocution, in the heavy Kolkata rains. Rains also snapped air, road and rail transport. With knee-to-waist-deep water, educational institutions were shut, forcing the Bengal government to declare Durga Puja holidays in advance.

A shopkeeper spills dairy product from a container after the rainwater inundated the area, in Kolkata

Here are 10 points to wrap up how the rains disrupted the festive time:

Kolkata woke up to

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