Orans are traditional sacred groves found in Rajasthan. These are community forests, preserved and managed by rural communities through institutions and codes that mark such forests sacred. Orans have significance for both, conservation and livelihood. The author visited two orans in Alwar district in Rajasthan and in this article, she writes about her observation.
Odisha reported the highest single-day COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as 37 people lost their lives, taking the toll to 2,791, a Health Department official said. The state also reported 8,735 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 7,73,732. These cases were detected after testing 62,293 samples. At present, there are 89,956 active cases in Odisha. In the last 24 hours, 10,405 people have recovered. The total recovery stands at 6,80,932. In all, 711 people have died of COVID-19 in the state in May. Khurda district, where state capital Bhubaneswar is located, has alone accounted for 471 deaths, followed by Ganjam (284), Sundergarh (270) and Cuttack (165). Five of the latest deaths were reported from Angul and four people each died in Cuttack and Kalahandi.
Vendors display idols of Saraswati in Bhubaneswar on Monday
BHUBANESWAR: Like several other festivals, Saraswati Puja scheduled on Tuesday will also be celebrated in a low-key manner across the state due to the Covid pandemic. The markets are missing the usual buzz, bringing no relief to idol-makers or shopkeepers.
A day before Saraswati Puja, markets saw a trickle of customers. “This year, the usual crowd is missing so the sales are also down,” said Santosh Sahu, a shopkeeper at Unit-1 market.
With most educational institutes closed on Tuesday, people are planning to hold the puja, celebrated to welcome spring and worship the goddess of knowledge, in their homes.