Expressing empathy to the affected people battered by back-to-back twin furies of cyclone and floods, the Puja Committees of Cuttack observed the famous immersion festival of Durga Puja on a very low-profile this year on Tuesday.
Shunning all lavish expenditures that are integral to the festival, the Puja Committees took out their Medhas (tableaus) and immersed the clay idols of the deities in water bodies in a very simple way without any fanfare. Many Puja Committees even did not take the idols to the Devi Gada on the bank of river Kathjodi for immersion and, instead, completed the ritual at nearby water bodies.
Since the Kathjodi is now filled to its brink due to floods, the district administration deployed fire tenders and an ODRAF team along with earthmovers to meet any eventuality.
The Puja Committees have also decided to contribute generously to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to provide solace to the affected people. The Barabati Sarbadharma Sanskrutik Parishad, which holds the Ravan Podi in the city in grand style every year, suspended the ritual for the year.
“We have decided to contribute Rs 8 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” said Parishad president Asirbad Behera in a Press release.
Many Puja Committees have also decided to announce their quantum of contributions to the CM Relief Fund, informed Mahanagar Peace Committee secretary Bhikari Das.
It may be mentioned that the five-day Puja was also marred due to the cyclone. Prior to the cyclone, the Puja Committees had dismantled their decorations from the Puja Mandaps, which wore a deserted look on the Mahaashtami night when the State was battered by the Phailin.
People, however, managed to offer Pujas on the Mahanabami and Bijaya Dasami during daytime. Power was restored in many parts of the city just within 24 hours of the cyclone and people at least managed to go Pandal-hoping on these two days braving intermittent rains of course.