Carnival at Sri Vijaya Durga Devi temple- Simhachalam

Sri Vijaya Durga Devi temple situated in Sri Satya Sai Nagar in Visakhapatnam district is all geared up for the upcoming annual ‘parasa’ i.e. carnival. Fresh coat of paint is applied to the shrine along with beautiful rangoli patterns all over the floor. This parasa will be heald on 22^nd February and the members of Sri Satya Sai Samskrutika Seva Sangham will be organising a host of events which includes Thappetagullu and Dappu.

B. Krishna Yadav, president of the sangham says,“Several residents don the role of artistes on the occasion and come together to entertain the viewers, presenting a row of cultural programmes” . Nestled in the hilly terrain of Simhachalam Devasthanam site, close to Simhachalam hill range, Sri Satya Sai Nagar is a settlement that drew over 2,000 people together. This is a place where a lot of middle income people aspire to get trained in vocational courses.

S.Deepthi who is a homemaker says, “With an Aganwadi centre-turned-community hall continues to remain unused, short term training programmes such as beautician course and blouse-designing classes can be conducted. Apparently, this will also help us in the long run as it would encourage us to set up units either individually or collectively”. A team of sanitation workers is busy trying to unblock clogged drainage channel and scooping out debris.

S.Chandrasekhara Rao who is a resident in the same area says,“It is one of the main problems we face here. Apart from a full-day monsoon that could spell trouble, the shrinking drainage channel has been a cause of concern for us. Two things are constant here—unbearable stink and fight against mosquitoes”. According to colony people, despite steps taken to desilt the drain regularly, the problem remains unresolved.

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