Donations dwindle; organisers, vendors worried
The Hudhud warning dampened the lakshmi puja spirit to a great extent in the district here. last year Phailin and low pressure had thrown cold water on the puja fervour in the district that has fame for organising the lakshmi puja on a grand scale.
This year the puja organisers and the locals were all set for a bigger and better puja, but the cyclone warning left them with fingers crossed. They fear the cyclone may blow off the pandals and rob them of the charm of the immersion ceremony with incessant rain and high wind speed.
According to several puja organisers, generally crowd throng the puja pandals during the last couple of days of the puja and also during the immersion days because of the cultural programmes. They already had made advance payment to the melody parties and the musical bands. But, now they are apprehending the worst.
Meanwhile, after the news of the cyclone spread, the collection of money for the puja reduced drastically on Wednesday. Most donors thought it not worth doing, said Bkandarasurabadha Puja Committee secretary Santosh Kumar Behera.
The road side vendors expecting to do brisk business during the puja were now a worried lot. They were also apprehending loss due to the adverse weather.
“What shall I do nowIJ If cyclonic rains lash the district, then nobody would come out of home to purchase items. How will I repay the debt I have made from a local money lenderIJ” Sk Roshan, a roadside garment vendor, said. The puja organisers are also in a quandary. They prayed Goddess lakshmi for no cyclone in the district.