Banarpal: Puja pandal hoppers here in Angul district must have come across a man standing still like a statue, at times in the getup of Indian leaders and sometimes donning the attire of Hindu gods.
Meet the entertainer Gokula Patel. Gokula, a resident of Bolangir town, makes both ends meet by working at a private company in his home town.
But his love for making people laugh and entertain them hardly keeps him restricted to his home town.
Come the festive season, he is among the most sought after persons. His demand is so high that puja committees, not just from the state but also from Delhi, Maharashtra and Kolkata, have to book him much earlier by paying him in advance.
Recently during the Bishwakarma puja he entertained people at Angul town by dressing to appear as gods and leaders.
Gokula says it gives him immense pleasure when people get puzzled after seeing him. “When I find people asking themselves about my getup, mistaking me as a real one, then I know the level of my acting. Sometimes they even prick pins to know if it is a real statue. In spite of that, I stand still for four to five hours,” boasts Gokula.
Apart from praises the hoppers shower on him, he has received many awards from different puja committees.
PNN