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Bhubaneswar, July 13: Olly, the friendly turtle mascot was a big factor behind popularity of the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships-2017. But besides Ollies in paint, there were some performers in Olly suits who brought the mascot to life and stole hearts. Amar Kumar Nehera, Dinesh Routray, Upendra Jena, Satyanarayan Srichandan were a quartet behind the enchanting masks. Orissa POST caught up with these youngsters whose efforts were recognized even by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Three of them were felicitated Wednesday and presented with a purse of Rs25,000 each. Amar Kumar Behera, the man in the skin of Olly who delighted the young and old during social connect initiatives by moving around in educational institutions and public malls. Untired, he visited the schools and malls, met the roaring crowd and greeted them with the same enthusiasm the whole day. He said that during all this tours I felt very happy to be able to pose as Olly. It was a great experience when thousands of students from different age groups accorded me a grand welcome in the schools and people made a beeline to take selfies with me. I love doing my job as it generates happiness around me giving a sense of contentment to me,” said the man inside Olly. While the mascot was interesting, the men who animated them in the Olly suits, are themselves no less interesting. Amar works for an event management company based in Bhubaneswar and had performed as Santa Claus during Pathostav, formerly Raahgiri, during Christmas. This father of two school-going kids, is a security guard in the company earning Rs5,500 month. “I got Rs 4,000 to act as Olly for four days. I was selected for Olly because of my previous act as Santa Claus during Christmas celebration last year for a programme,” Amar said.
Upendra Jena, a 26-year-old who works with a voluntary organization was thrilled by the opportunity to don the Olly suit, particularly as he was leading the contingent of athletes at the opening ceremony at Kalinga Stadium Wednesday. “It was the best moment of my life as I was there before thousands of people although they were only seeing the mascot,” he said. Jena, himself a kabaddi player, says he cherishes receiving recognition from the chief minister. Jena is says it was a tough five days of work, particularly inside the mascot costume it is very hot and humid. “The adoration of people made me forget all the pain. They loved my antics and clicked selfies, which was satisfying,” he said. The sports authority had also assured him work as a volunteer in recognition of his effort. Dinesh, 22, a college student, was Olly at the valedictory ceremony of the event. He, too, volunteers with a city-based social organization. “Olly gave me the front-seat view of action as I could move about freely within the stadium and witness the action. I felt quite happy,” he said. Durgesh Kumar Singh, the wildlife photographer who suggested the name for the mascot said, he was passionate about protecting the endangered olive ridleys. “It is a great feeling to see that people have become aware about the species owing to the mascot which will help in saving it,” he says. That is another pat on the back of the men behind the mascot.