**Bhubaneswar:** “ Said to be the largest in the country, the Jagannath’s Temple’s kitchen in Puri since its inception has had an army; of 500 cooks and 300 helpers to serve 1,00,000 people every day, round the clock- which means almost 285 variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes every day,” says the Shubh Yatra magazine, an in-flight magazine of the national carrier which offers interesting articles to read about India’s travel, culture, fashion, food, entertainment and Air India airlines.
Moreover, a photograph is posted beside it conferring it to be Lord Jagannath’s kitchen. But it does not seem to be of the pious kitchen, as no pictures are allowed to be taken within the temple premises.
Hue and cry has been ensued on the part of the Jagannath devotees on this matter as it came to light. The regional media has been playing it up showing the factual mistake by the national carrier’s magazine.
This matter came into light when it was noticed by Rudra Rath, a Bhubaneswar based journalist who was travelling from New Delhi to Bhubaneswar. He brought this fact to the notice of the crew members and asked for a form wherein he could put up a complaint. But he was not provided with one.
He had contacted with the fellow journalists as soon as he landed in Bhubaneswar.
Devotees in Puri and across the State have come out in protest demanding an apology and immediate removal of the written article.
Some are even demanding the resignation of Odisha’s Culture and Tourism Minister, Ashok Panda for not taking the matter seriously.
CM Naveen Pattnaik has shown deep concern over this matter.
” I think that is most unfortunate. We will take it up strongly with the appropriate authoritie,” he said.
OMMCOM NEWS contacted the Jayita Bandyopadhyay, the editor of the ‘Shubh Yatra’ magazine to put her side of the story. But she refused to comment on the matter in an usual bureaucratic way, instead of apologizing immediately.
Hear the full conversation in the audio attached with Jayita, the editor of the much talked about in-house magazine, “It will be inappropriate to say anything on this matter until and unless I get into the factual details, contact the expert who has written the article, and then try to find out. As I am not the author or an expert, I cannot say anything about it. But as for the magazine, we take each and every complaint very seriously and will definitely look into this matter,” .
Ashok Panda, the Tourism and the Culture Minister, Odisha, seems to completely wash off his hands from this matter.
“It is a magazine of the Central Government. I have no hand in it. My resignation will not solve any purpose. I will bring this matter to the Centre’s notice,” he said.
