BARGARH : Annoyed by the blatant disregard to the social distancing norms by the people, Bargarh’s King Kansa has turned himself into Yamraj, the God of death, to warn citizens about the grave danger they are putting themselves into by not adhering to Covid prevention measures.Bhubaneswar Pradhan, who has been playing the role of Kansa during Dhanuyatra for the last several years, moved around the town on a horse chariot donning the robes of Yamraj. He was accompanied by his aide Chitragupta, played by Ashok Behera, the brain behind the novel awareness initiative.
Yamraj stopped at a few places and took people, not adhering to Covid-19 guidelines, to task. People found roaming in the town without wearing masks were brought to the lord by two soldiers accompanying him. They were punished in public. The message was loud and clear-those not adhering to the norms, will be taken to Yamloka, the abode of the God of death.
The chariot moved around the town from 8 am to 12 noon. Pradhan said though the character of Yamraj is similar to that of Kansa, it was a novel experience for him to play the role. “I could easily establish a connect with residents of Bargarh, who are acquainted with such acts,” he said. The objective of the initiative was to make people aware of the threat the virus poses to mankind. The God of death not only asked people to adhere to the norms but also advised them to help the needy in this time of crisis.