Rourkela: The ongoing Ganesh Mahotsav of Rajgangpur is one-of-a-kind in the whole state because of the sheer magnitude of the celebration given the size of the city.
More than 400 individual and community pandals here are worshipping the elephant God for seven days this year. What really makes the entire celebration unique is the prasad that is offered to the devotees thronging the pandals. Over 80 to 100 committees offer prasad to the devotees throughout the festival and no menu is repeated for more than two days. The offerings are interestingly of two kinds, the usual sweet and the salty, which is a rarity. Among sweet offerings, the menu is usual such as gulab jamun, ladu, peda, bundi, malpua, imarti, thekua and others depending on the decision of the committee.
In the salty category, however, pav bhaji, alu chop, pakudi, dahibara and ghuguni, rice and dalma, kachodi, chhole and others. Over 10-15 chefs would remain busy throughout the seven days of celebration. “Over 10 tonne of prasad is prepared and distributed at some of the major pandals every day. There is no use of onion and garlic in the salty items,” said Shiv Agarwal, a resident of Rajgangpur. Some of the oldest and largest pujas are held by Sarbajanik Ganesh Puja Committee, YB Association, Renchol Club, Sidhi Vinayak Puja Committee, Shiva Hind Club and Starlight Club. “Every day we receive devotees in large numbers and this year kachodi, rice and dalma seem to be the first choice amongst the visitors. We have served prasad to over 10,000 visitors to our pandal,” said Sunil Agarwal of Starlight Committee. Another member of the YB Association said, “Our sweet dishes remained in demand and we served more than 20 tonne of sweets.” Visitors enjoyed the food festival and savoured almost all the delicacies served at the pandals. A visitor from Raigarh in Chhattisgarh said, “I have been to many places and seen many celebrations but this is just unique and nowhere have I seen such a food festival in my life. All must come and at least enjoy the atmosphere and the food at least once in their lifetime.” Another lady Rasika Duggal from Manoharpur in Jharkhand said, “I never miss a chance to come here during Ganesh Puja. My sole attraction remains the food festival. This is just out of the world.” Most of the pandal hoppers don’t cook for the entire period during the celebration, the dinner especially. “This year the puja is being held for seven days and we have cooked just one day at home so far. On the rest of the days, pandal food has kept my family’s tummy full,” said one person. September rain could not dampen the festive spirit.
Over a few lakh people have so far visited the Cement City. A businessman said, “I believe this year only during the Ganesh Puja the business would be to the tune of over Rs 5 crore.” The crowd has turned up in record numbers this year as there is no restriction either by the authorities or in the mind about Covid-19. What makes this celebration stand out from pujas being held elsewhere in the state is the population. “Our city has a population of just over 50,000, but look at the massive size of the celebration. You have more than 400 individual and community pujas here. The immersion will take place September 26,” Kamal Agarwal, chairman of the puja committees, said. With the passage of time, the scenario of entertainment has changed. Earlier, it was Ram Lila, Krishna Lila or cinema being shown at different pandals. Now, it is time for DJ, orchestra and dance competitions.