Rourkela: Following the inauguration of the Srimandir Parikrama project, the Steel City and the entire Sundargarh district are gearing up for the consecration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya January 22. There is a palpable enthusiasm among the denizens to celebrate the great day.
“Rourkela will turn into a mini Ayodhya, even if we are away from the holy city. There will be no letdown as far as celebration of Lord Ram’s homecoming is concerned,” said Anup Jaiswal, a leading businessman and active member of one of the committees dedicated to the celebration.
The main attraction and celebration will be visible on the main road in old Rourkela, the main business district. “Earlier there were nine akhadas in Rourkela. Now another one has been added to that number, especially for the celebration,” said a member Vivek Sharma. The akhadas are basically home to Lord Hanuman. “For us Lord Jagannath and Ram are very dear because logically Hanumanji is the devotee of both,” said one member of Hanuman Akhada.
Some of the leading sweet shops like Kailashpuri, Dwarkapur, Shalimar and Atithi Bihar are overflowing with orders. They have added new sweetmeat makers to their existing list of workers. “I am not accepting any new order for January 22. I already have orders for more than 15,000 laddus, bundi, and other sweets,” said one of the sweet shop owners.
Besides, they are also preparing for voluntary sweet distribution for the devotees. Shops selling goods for the occasion like flags, diyas, pure ghee, castor oil, saffron vermillion and many other things have sprouted up. “I cannot say which particular thing has the most demand because everything is selling like hot cake,” said one of the shopkeepers.
Meanwhile, the celebration is not limited to the main business district. From temples and individual households to community celebrations, the zeal is visible across the city.
“I have purchased over a hundred diyas and distributed them among my friends along with a small ghee packet and wick for the celebration,” said one RSP employee.
Another person RSP worker Bablu Padhi said, “I stay in Koelnagar ‘C’ block and in our neighbourhood the preparation is in full swing. More than 20 families will join for a community celebration and we will do it on the road by lighting diyas and distributing prasad after worship of Lord Ram.”
By Rajesh Mohanty, OP