Puri: Her eyes are always seeking the Lord. She has a fetish for collecting idols of Lord Ganesha and is only too happy to go the extra mile to acquire one. She does not wait for Ganesh Chaturthi to bring an idol of her favourite Lord home. She welcomes him at all times.
Pushpita Patnaik, a teacher from Baseli Sahi in Puri has over 600 idols of the elephant God in different moods and made from different material.
“When I go out my eyes always search for Ganesha idols. I have brought idols from many places. I have Ganesh idols, which are made up of paper, clay and wood. I have idols made from different metals too. I have collected them from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Uttar Pradesh and many more places of India,” said Pushpita.
“I was inclined towards spiritualism since my childhood. When I was studying in school, I used to see idols of Lord Ganesh and Saraswati at my friends’ houses during Ganesh Puja and Saraswati Puja. Then I asked my mother to bring a photo of Ganesha for me. I worship that photo till now. I have been collecting idols of Ganesha, right from my school days,” she said.”
There is only one problem now. Pushpita doesn’t have enough space in the house to display her collection. But that does not deter her from bringing more Ganesha idols home.
“I will continue my collection. But, I do not have enough space to showcase these idols properly. If the district administration can help me to make a museum, then the tourists, coming to Puri can see these idols at one place,” she added.
