Bengaluru: While the whole country is gearing up to celebrate Ganesh festival with fervour, the mood is very somber among the victims of demolition drive in Bengaluru. Deccan Chronicle spoke to some of these people whose houses and other properties were fully or partially demolished to clear encroachments on storm water drains.
Priyanka Prakash, a resident of Avani Sringeri Nagar in Bommanahalli said, “We are not going to celebrate the festival this year. Our house has become unlivable after the demolition. Our mind is totally filled with what next are we supposed to do with our property.”
N. Govind Raju, a resident of Pete Siddappa Cross, Doddabommasandra said, “When there is no home for us, where should we celebrate the Ganesh festival? Ours is a joint family, where every year we used to celebrate the festival with lot of happiness. Our relatives and neighbours used to visit us during festival.”
For us Gowri festival is considered auspicious. As a part of this festival we used to invite married women and offer baagina. All our happiness got buried in the rubble of our house, he lamented.
Shashi Shekar, who lost his factory due to the encroachment drive at Abbigere, Dasarahalli said, “From the ages of my father, for every Ganesh festival, we used to install idol of the god in the factory premise. We used to gift employees with bonus, new clothes and sweets. But this year, my factory got demolished, my employees are jobless and there is no festival for us.”
M. Yathish Kumar, a resident of Vidyaranyapura, said, “The home in which we lived for many years have been demolished. At present we have rented a small room in the area and living in it.”
We do not have enough space for ourselves in the new room, then where should we install the idol and worship, Yathish questioned and said that this year there will be no festival for them.
