Rath Yatra: Puri vendors, hotels owners await change in fortune

BHUBANESWAR: It was not the Grand Road alone that was desolate, missing devotees on Rath Yatra. The Puri beach too wore a deserted look owing to the curfew imposed by the government to stop public gathering during the festival owing to the prevalent Covid crisis, resulting in loss of business for hundreds of small vendors.
The marine drive road and the beach that used to be packed with tourists was silent on Monday. The seaside hotels that used to be decorated with a fresh coat of paint and colourful lights to welcome tourists during Rath Yatra also looked pale this time.
“We miss the Rath Yatras before 2020 that used to make Puri lively and cheerful. Puri has lost its sheen without tourists and the hustle and bustle on the beach,” said Debasis Kumar, owner of Hotel Victoria which faces the beach.
Sources said the livelihood of at least 600 vendors on the beach and 2000 small traders on the 3 km Grand Road, facing the Jagannath Temple, has been badly hit during the Rath Yatra following the ban on the participation of devotees.
“During Rath Yatras, I used to earn Rs 2,000 every day by giving camel and horse rides to tourists on the beach. Now I am struggling to feed my family,” said Prasana Sahoo.
Sahadeb Pradhan, who had been selling seashells, conch and pearls on the beach, used to do brisk business till late in the night. “I would hardly get time to eat as my shop used to be crowded all the time during Rath Yatra. But the pandemic has turned my business upside down,” Pradhan said.
Sreehari Sahoo, who owned khaja (a sweet delicacy) and an idol shop on Grand Road, used to have his hands full during the nine-day mega festival. “For people like us, Rath Yatra was the major source of income. Rath Yatra is synonymous with crowd and crowd means brisk business. However, fate has ordained the worst for us this year too,” Sahoo said.
Hoteliers and restaurateurs echoed similar sentiment. “With the ban on movement of trains, buses and other modes of public transport to Puri to avoid congregations of people, the hotels have fallen empty. Only a handful of tourists were there in our hotel on Grand Road. But the administration evacuated the tourists two days before Rath,” said Sangram Mohanty, a hotel manager.