Like the previous year, this year too the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings will be celebrated sans devotees in Puri.
With devotees having been barred from taking part in the annual festival, a techie from Kendrapara has come up with a unique idea to celebrate the grand event in an artistic way.
Priyanka Sahani, who is presently working as a software developer in a Bangalore-based company, has set a target to make 108 paintings of Jagannath and his siblings- both miniature and acrylic- on different objects.
Priyanka, who learnt the skills from her late father Bibekananda Sahani, so far has drawn 35 images of the holy Trinity on different things like- almond, jackfruit seeds, rajma ( kidney beans) , nutmeg, banana, cinnamon stick, chewing gum, nails and others.
Asked if she can meet her target before the deadline, a confident Sahani said, "I am working 10-12 hours a day on the paintings. I will definitely come up with 108 arts of the deities before Rath Yatra."
"I use needle, brush and acrylic colours to draw the miniature paintings. It takes three to four hours to finish one painting. I am planning to draw the images of the deities on fan, handheld fan, 'pidha' and chalk in future," she said.
When asked about the source of her inspiration and idea, Priyanka said, "I had seen very bad days following my father's demise. I went through depression. Then I took to canvas and brushes to get over depression."
"I always wanted to do innovative work. Hence, I planned to do something different during Rath Yatra this year and came up with the idea of drawing the holy Trinity on things like pulses, nails, banana, leaves which one could never have imagined," she said.
Her creations indeed speak for her dedication and devotion.