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Puri: In view of prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Puri district administration has imposed restriction on the visit of Habisyalis (elderly woman devotees) to the pilgrim city.
However, it has not deterred the spiritual temperament of a few Habisyalis. Though less in number, they have come from different parts of the State to Puri to observe the month-long Kartika Brata during the religious Hindu calendar this year too.
One such Habisyali is Sashi Panda from Ranipada village of Nayagarh. The visually-impaired old woman has braved the pandemic and come to Puri to serve Lord Jagannath and observe the ritual. However, she was crestfallen to hear that the administration has restricted the darshan of Lord Jagannath due to the pandemic norms in place.
Sashi lost her eyes in 2006 during a stampede while having darshan of Lord Jagannath. But the incident has not deterred her devotion in the deity a bit.
“Every year I come to Puri to serve the Lord and observe the Kartika Brata rituals. My devotion in lord Jagannath brings me here. But I am deeply saddened over the fact that we will not be allowed to serve and have a darshan of the Lord this time,” she stated.
Though Sashi does not have money to afford the cost of her ritual, she has fully surrendered herself before the deity and is confident that the lord will take care of her during the month-long time.
“I don’t have a penny. But I have left everything to lord Jagannath. I am confident that she will take care of me in his abode. I will beg for Mahaprasad from the devotees and spend the month here,” she said.
(Edited by Ramakant Biswas)
