BHUBANESWAR: With the influx of lakhs of devotees for the majestic Rath Yatra, voluntary organisations have took it upon themselves to cater to visitors with basic amenities such as food and water without any cost.
Erected just a few meters before the Jagannath Temple, long queues can be witnessed at the stalls of these voluntary organisations where visitors are given free food and water bottles in an organised and hygienic manner.
Among the others, Nilanchal Seva Samiti is one such organisation that is providing the yeoman service to the people here for past five years. The Guwahati-based organisation that consists about 20 members has been visiting the city at this time of the year since 2014.
“All of our members belong from Guwahati and every year we organise this fest for the devotees. We spend about Rs 8 lakhs every year for the event. The fund is contributed by all the members in our community and we stay only for these two days to do our bit for the people,” said organiser Amit Tapadia.
Served with simmering Khichdi, savory Upma, and scrumptious Khaja, the services start as early as 5 am in the morning and goes on till 11 pm. On being enquired about the inspiration for such an act, Amit simply said, “To serve lord Jagannath.”
Amit’s warm gesture towards devotees has certainly struck the right chord with visitors here. While his stall had people from all parts of the country even foreigners waited in the queue to taste a part of Amit’s generosity.
Stella Martin, who has travelled all the way from Germany, exults, “This is great work. They are certainly doing their bit for the people. The food served here is delicious. It’s a rare sight to see so many people working for a noble cause.”
