‘Green Man’ asks people to avoid floating boats in water bodies

Berhampur: Every year on Kartik Purnima, when a number of people in Odisha take part in the yearly ritual of Boita Bandana, a boat festival, and set afloat a number of miniature boats to mark the day, eminent environmentalist and Green Man of Odisha Sudhir Raut has appealed to the people to avoid floating banana trunks and other miniature boats in the water bodies.

“Guided by superstitions, people go to the water bodies in hoards to float banana trunks, miniature boats and puja materials in the water bodies which pollute them. I request the administration to set a pond or two aside for the purpose which can be cleaned up the following day. Polluted water is the provenance of diseases. Polluted water is also one of the agents of climate change”, said Sudhir.

Early in the morning, on Kartik Purnima on November 27, people will make their way to different water bodies to set afloat boats which are traditionally made up of banana stems and banyan leaves. Some boats are made of paper. The boats are floated with lighted lamps, betel leaves, flowers, milk, crackers, fruits and coins to mark the 1,000-year-old boat festival. It is considered a significant day to celebrate the maritime glory of Odisha.

For centuries, ‘Kalinga Sadhabas’ (the maritime merchants and seafarers) had maritime trading relationships with various regions scattered across the Indian Ocean realm. The festival commemorates the maritime glory of the State.

Suidhir further said, “I ask people why they are doing it. Only one out of several hundreds say that it is done to commemorate the rich maritime traditions of Kalinga. All others link it to pitru purush mokshya or punyakarma or, to my utter surprise, without any reason and unaware of the reason.”