Puri: Suna Besha is one of the most crucial aspects of the famous Rath Yatra in Puri. This day hosts thrice as many people as both Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra in a single day. So much so, that the crowd sometimes gets out of control leading to scuffles between the police and the servitors or the devotees. But this year’s Suna Besha is unique as it involves no devotees in strict adherence to the Supreme Court’s directive amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here is what Jagannath Sanskruti experts and the common people have to say:
Jayakrushna Das Mahapatra, Daitapati servitor
“This is unique indeed. We have be abiding by all the countermeasures against COVID-19 to keep it from spreading. The face masks and sanitisers provided by the Odisha government are good precautionary measures for sure. We are thankful for such incentives but in the end, it’s all God’s will. It would have been nice if some sort of arrangements could have been done for the live darshan of Mahapravu apart from the one on television.”
Priyadarshan Patnaik, Jagannath Sena
“It is the miracle of a miraculous God for something like this to have taken place almost overnight. Jagannath Sena expresses its heartfelt gratitude. Everything is good but I think the temple administration should also have been tested for coronavirus along with the servitors. The way our corona warriors were assaulted on that fateful day, I think things could have been handled a bit more subtlety.”
Suryanarayan Rathsharma, Jagannath Culture Expert
“It is a part of the festival. We need to make it successful, there is no ‘otherwise’ for it. The servitor community has the blessings of Lord Jagannath and I’m sure, Mahaprabhu will protect everyone from the virus.”
Minati Mohapatra, devotee
“We thought that the restructuring of Puri that led to the demolition of certain buildings in front of the temple will let us enjoy a comfortable darshan of Mahaprabhu this year, but it seems that won’t be the case. Although I feel whatever has happened is for the greater good of Puri.”
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