This woman from Kolkata has dedicated her life to Lord Jagannath
When we met her she was holding a small idol of Lord Jagannath. She informed that she always keeps that idol of Lord Jagannath with her and He saves her from all odds in life
Puri: Devotion is always precious. Not only in the mythological or ancient times but even in this modern age there are people who have dedicated their whole life to God. What they got out of it is known to them only. Yet, they are extremely happy with what they feel about God.
Kalinga TV Digital recently came across such a great lady during her visit to Shree Mandira, the abode of Lord Jagannath in Puri of Odisha. She does not want to publicize her devotion. She feels that her devotion towards Lord Jagannath is between her and the Lord. Hence, she was hesitating to speak to us. Yet, after our sincere request, she agreed to share a little bit about herself, her family, her job and what she feels about Lord Jagannath. And what she revealed was treasurable. She also urged us not to share her contact details with others which prove that she does not want to promulgate her divine feeling.
This lady, who has great devotion for Lord Jagannath is Anamika Sarkar from Kolkata in West Bengal. By profession, she is a Bank Manager. She earns a handsome salary. She spends her income to maintain the family and in the service of the Lord.
Anamika has a younger sister. She informed that since her sister, who is 2 years younger than her, is physically challenged and thus she does not want to marry. They are only two sisters and they live with their mother in Kolkata. Their father has already passed away.
Asked about her marital status the lady intimated that she is not married and not even interested to marry. The reason she explained is — Lord Jagannath is everything to her. She feels the Lord is her husband, son, father and companion who always protects her from odds and evils. And thus she does not want to have any other man as her husband. She wants to spend her whole life with the Lord.
When we met her she was holding a small idol of Lord Jagannath. She informed that she always keeps that idol of Lord Jagannath with her and He saves her from all odds in life.
Anamika nourishes her family which also includes her mother. She gives a portion of her salary to her mother and also spends money to maintain the family. And the rest of her salary is spent on pilgrimage. During the bank holidays, she visits different holy places along with the small idol of Lord Jagannath with her.
Sarkar is working in the Banking sector for the last 17 years. This highly educated lady was seen holding the Lord Jagannath idol who had been attired with a Kiriti and Bastra. In the famous shrine of Lord Jagannath in Puri, she got a glimpse of the Lord and paid her abeyance while holding the small idol of the Lord.
As we requested, she also sang Lord Jagannath Bhajan. The song she sang is — Shree Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu, Daya Kara More, Tuma Bina Naanin Kichhi Jagatare Saha. Not being an Odia, her pronunciation at many places during the rendition of this Odia devotional number was not perfect, yet when someone has such a high level of devotion towards Lord Jagannath who cares for the pronunciation?
Lord Jagannath is the God of the Universe. We have seen people of different castes, religions and from places have been known for their devotion towards this God. Bhakta Salabega was Muslim by birth but his devotion to Lord Jagannath made Lord Jagannath stop his Ratha Yatra in Odisha for him to get darshan. His famous Bhajan ‘Ahe Nila Saila’ lives to this day. He was a legendary devotee of Lord Jagannath. We also witness many foreign nationals flock to Puri during Rathyatra to get a glimpse of their cherished Lord aboard the chariot. Besides, Bhakta Bidura, Bandhu Mohanty and many other great souls are known for their devotion to Lord Jagannath. And now, today we met another great soul who has happily dedicated her life to the service of Lord Jagannath.
Ms Kalinga