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Milk for deities, not for locals
AS HUNDREDS of people continued to show up at different temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Ganesha and offer milk, the city faced acute shortage of milk on Monday.
AS HUNDREDS of people continued to show up at different temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Ganesha and offer milk, the city faced acute shortage of milk on Monday.
Although the news of deities drinking milk spread like wildfire on Sunday, there was no end to the devotees visiting the temples on Monday, too. Owing to scarcity of milk, many citizens could not take their morning tea.
Milk packets were sold at exorbitant prices. Besides, those who came from adjacent hamlets to supply milk to the city, were found selling it at Rs 25 and Rs 30 per litre outside various temples.
Ram Bharose, who brings milk from nearby Shambhua village, said, “We’re happy as we can add a few more pittance to our daily income in such a situation.”
But the higher prices of milk could not deter the devotees who kept on waiting outside the temples throughout the night, singing devotional songs and offering milk.
Shalini, a resident of Ramnarayan Bazar, who was waiting for her turn to offer milk at the famous Vaibhav Lakshami temple at Birahana Road, said, “Goddess Lakshmi had accepted the milk offerings of one of my neighbors. And, the goddess will accept the milk offered by me, too.”
According to reports, the news of deities sipping milk first came from Barra area of the south city where a woman claimed that the idol at Gopeswar temple accepted the milk offered by her.
The temples that were overcrowded on Monday, too, were: Anadeshwar temple at Parmat, Shiddheswar temple at Jajmau, Jageswar temple at Nawab ganj, Vaibhav Lakshmi temple at Birahana Road, Baradevi temple, Kali temple.
