post news network, Bhubaneswar, April 12: As the people of Orissa begin their final countdown to the Nabakalebar festival, many organisations from Orissa are chipping in to serve the devotees during those auspicious days. The Orissa International Centre, a cultural organisation, has decided to join the bandwagon by making arrangements to distribute free prasada at various sites across Puri.
The sites where the organisation has decided to distribute prasada include, Talabani (two centres), Gundicha Temple (two centres), Sea Shore (two centres), Malati Patapur (two centres), Radahakanta Matha (one centre) and Puri-Konark Road (one centre). The organisation Sunday said that they are planning to distribute prasada from July 17 to July 26, with Nilachal Kshetra in Puri the place from where the distribution would begin. The organisation plans to serve around one lakh devotees during the period.
Bhavani Shankar Mahapatra, coordinator of Orissa International Centre said, “Nabakalebar is a very significant festival for the people of Orissa. Many people are contributing to the festival in their own way. We have decided to distribute prasada free of cost for the devotees during the famous Nabakalebar festival. We have planned to target around one lakh devotees. For felicitating the same, we have planned to install different prasada centres across Puri.”
The organization Sunday released its brochure giving more details about their plans. The prasada would be distributed between 11am and 4pm during these days. According to the brochure many other arrangements have been made in order to make sure the devotees get adequate amenities during the festive season.
Organisers said there would be waterproof dining hall, comfortable sitting areas, separate toilets for men and women, dustbins, refreshment room, kitchen and store, flex and advertisement option, light and sound system, emergency help line, 24×7 security, special attention for the old and the ladies and other such arrangements made to make the experience of the devotees joining the festival memorable.
Not just the OIC several other organisations, including, needless to say, the state tourism department are toiling hard to make sure the famous festival gets even bigger in size. The Union tourism ministry has already sanctioned Rs 52cr for the festival, besides dedicating commemorative coins and coffee table books to the famous festival of this coastal state.
These apart, the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has also came up with special tour packages for the devotees to make the festival more accessible. The state government has also introduced the concept of tourist police to ensure safety of devotees.