Durga idols lost to flood

KENDRAPARA: Flood-hit villagers of Kendrapara district installed photos of Goddess Durga on Monday for the Saptami puja. The flood had damaged most idols prepared for the Puja. What remains are just the bamboo structures.“The sculptors of Kumbharsahi of Rankala, Narasinghpur and Ramachandrapur had completed the idols three weeks back. But they were swept away by the flood water. We were left with little time to make more idols for the puja,” said Sangram Swain of Narasinghpur village.Many flood-ravaged villages are littered with dismembered idols. Over 350 pieces of half-made idols were destroyed in the recent floods.In Narasinghpur village, some villagers planned for another idol of the Goddess but could not find a sculptor. The whole village was marooned for ten days. The problem did not end here. The villagers also faced a dearth of priests to perform the rituals on Saptami.“My thatched house collapsed in the flood. I am running from pillar to post to arrange bamboos and straw to rebuild my house. I have no time to perform puja,” said Sarbeswar Panda of Ramachandrapur village.There are some who have decided not to observe the Puja as they are still picking pieces of life after the devastating floods destroyed their houses and hearth. “My six acres of standing crop and thatched house have been destroyed. We are yet to come to terms with the loss,” said Parameswar Behera of Bhagawanpur village.The villagers had a difficult time rummaging through the remains of their house for the photographs of the deity. “I purchased a photo of the Goddess for Rs 50 from Kendrapada on Saturday for the Saptami puja along with other villagers”, said Abanikanta Samal of Bandhapatana.