When the capital city is gearing up to mark the auspicious day of Ramnavami through colourful flags, devotional music, drumbeats and martial art displays; home grown Bamboo has become a reason for the typical agrarian people to yield profits and enjoy the festivity.
The sales of bamboo sticks have doubled in the last couple of daya as during Ramnavami huge gigantic flags of lord Hanuman hoisted on bamboo poles and sticks are carried across the city and worshiped.
Adorers have fervently started purchasing Hanumani flags before the Ramnavami as in the state people believe that lord Hanuman was born at Anjan village near Gumla’s Toto and serving as the servant of lord Ram is more than sufficient for Moksha.
Many people have set up temporary shops across the city to sell the bamboo sticks. Ajay Tirkey, an unemployed graduate sold bamboos like hot cakes at Shaheed Chowk said, “From yesterday the sales have increased devotees are continuously coming to buy the bamboo sticks. I have especially from Ratu village to sell bamboo. last year also I and my brother made huge profits.”
The city’s akharas are also preparing for the processions with Mahaviri flags bearing lord Hanuman’s image on bamboo poles lining the streets. Uday Shankar Ojha from Shri Mahavir Mandal said, “the bamboo sticks and poles sold in Ranchi come from the
outskirt areas like Kudu, Mandar, loyo, Brambhi, Zahir and Sidhu Kanhu.
We have purchased around 8 thousand bamboo sticks for the Mahaviri flags this year to express their love and gratitude towards lord Ram and lord Hanuman.”
Bamboo sticks are available in the market according to their lengths. Most of the temporary shops have the same nominal prices Rs.10 per ft. Hirilal Tiwari a sticks coal and wood dealer from Chruch Road said, “We have brought the sticks from a whole seller from Kutchery Road. Most of the people have purchased 12ft- 15ft bamboo sticks from us.”
But when there is a huge demand of bamboo across the city. Both illegal and legal transited bamboos are retailed across the city. The Forest Department has also not initiated any kind of drive and vigilance on it. The department is also clueless, that how much bamboo is used during Ramnavami in the capital city every year. Officials from Forest department said, “There is no hard and fast rule for vigilance during such religious event and if the things are not harming the environment it is all right.”