Bhubaneswar, June 16: As Raja has emerged as the first community festival after over 2-years’ pause of all the festivities due to the pandemic, people have thronged to the Raja Yatra ground on Thursday.

Raja Jatra in Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneswar has got a spectacular look during the four-day celebration of the Raja due to the varieties of swings for a happy see-saw of the women and the Meena Bazaar meant for the children, installed in spacious grounds in the prime locations. At the same time, the toy market showcasing wide range of soft toys has opened up the first opportunity for the tender children after the strictures imposed for Covid-19.

The Raja festival organised at the KCA ground in Jagamara near the Khandagiri square in Bhubaneswar was the first destination for the local housewives, girls and children as the organizers had made elaborate arrangement to celebrate the Raja with a cultural fervor. Over a score of country swings along with electrical swings (Ramadoli) was set on the ground to cater to the need of the women. Besides the swings, an open market of soft toys, puppets, teddy bears, automated mopeds among other child-centered homey art and crafts was set on the ground, where uncommon gathering of children and toddlers is seen in the evening. However, the mobile toy sellers like the Ballon-wala, plastic-based toy vendors and mask sellers reaches out at the boys and girls due to their colorful collections of fascinating toys.

Satisfied with the sales a standing toy seller said that, he sold out around 600 units of toys in the Jagamara Raja bazaar in the last two-day celebration.

“It’s the first and the highest sale of the season after the intervention of Corona amid the restriction of lockdown, shutdown and night curfew. The coming Dussehra will compensate the losses incurred due to the intervention of Covid-19 pandemic”, he added.