Dhenkanal: Just as we bid adieu to Goddess Durga, Dhenkanal town, synonymous with Lakshmi Puja, is busy inviting the Goddess of Wealth, with puja committee members ensuring all arrangements are in place and idol makers and pandal artisans giving final touches to their work.
Lakshmi Puja will begin Wednesday night on the occasion of Kartik Purnima. As just a few hours have left, all the puja committees are pulling the stops to get things right on the night. Meanwhile, roads, lanes and by lanes are aglow in colourful lights as puja committees are vying with each other for first position in terms of decoration.
Meena bazaars being the main attraction of Dhenkanal Lakshmi Puja, vendors from outside the district and the state have already started camping at their selected places. Some are busy setting up mini carnivals, a major attraction of the festival.
Revellers would never think of Dhenkanal Lakshmi Puja without food stalls. “After hopping pandals or buying some cosmetics or home need articles, savouring a variety of delicacies is a must,” said a college girl.
Keeping the regional food tastes in mind, vendors and restaurant owners have already put up their stalls in areas like Kaibalya Bazaar, Rathagada, Ganesh Bazaar, Mahaveer Bazaar, Super Market, Anand Bazaar and Bazi Chowk. Similarly, the district administration is organising a ‘National Palli Shree Mela’ comprising 350 stalls at Mahishapat ground.
This year, there are 38 pandals in total celebrating Lakshmi puja. While Meena Bazaar Puja Committee and Kaibalya Bazaar Puja Committee have been displaying ‘Chandi Medha’ for a couple of years, this time another two committees — Ganesh Bazaar Puja Committee and Gudianali Puja Committee – have joined making the total number of ‘Chandi Medha’ four. This year Meena Bazaar Puja Committee is celebrating its platinum jubilee.
The district administration is also trying its best to make the 15-day-long festival enjoyable. However, senior citizens are not happy with the progress of road repair work. While one side of the stretch from Kunjakanta to College Square has been repaired, the other side is still full of potholes, they said.
They demanded that the administration should take steps to check sale of stale or substandard quality food during the festival.
PNN
