Statesman News Service DHENKANAL, Oct. 8: Although the district is known more for its lavish celebrations of Laxmi Puja, the Durga Puja festivities here also draw large crowds, especially in the rural areas. With Dussehra round the corner many organisers are making frenzied preparations for various cultural activities to celebrate the festival.Several beautifully decorated puja pandals have been put up in Siminai, Sadashipur, Kamakshyanagar, Joranda and other parts of the district with cultural shows, music and dance performances and light shows planned to lure visitors. Even in a small town like Kamakshyanagar as many as 13 puja pandals have been put up for the deity.In Siminai villagers have formed a puja committee to ensure that the celebrations pass off smoothly. The villagers here have traditionally taken the idols in a procession to the Melana ground.“When we started celebrating puja here the cost per pandal would come to about Rs 40; today it runs into lakhs of rupees,” said a member of the puja committee.In Dhenkanal town itself the puja pandals in Reserve Police line, Kunjakant and Kanchan Bazaar attract huge crowds during the aarti sessions every evening.Besides devotion, an interest in making brisk business pulls crowds to these pandals. Many small-time businessmen from as far away as Sambalpur, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Kendrapada display their wares near the pandals.“Profit increases manifold during such occasions. I make about Rs 3000 a day during the puja celebrations,” said toy vendor Mr Soumitra Nayak. “People are in the mood to spend during the puja. I sell miscellaneous commodities and make up to Rs 5000 a day during the festival,” said Mr Gopal Sahoo, another small-time businessman. In order to ensure that no untoward incidents take place during the celebrations, police personnel have been deployed at various places, sources said. source: the statesman
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