Little Balram of World Famous Bargarh Dhanu Yatra Passes Away While Playing

Bargarh: 12-year-old Shreyas pujari, who played the role of child Balram in the world-famous Dhanu Yatra, suddenly died while playing in his village Ambapalli.

According to sources, Pujari collapsed while playing on the village road this morning. His parents and villagers rushed him to the nearest hospital for treatment where the doctors declared him dead.

Pujari along with all the other artists was attending the rehearsal for this year’s Dhanu Yatra. He also rehearsed yesterday and was fine during it.

“He was doing really great in the rehearsals. His performance was at par with senior artists. I was sure, he would do really great in this year’s Dhanu Yatra. But sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. He left us at a very young age,” said Rabindra Pujari, his instructor at the Dhanu Yatra.

“We still do not know how he died. He was absolutely fine this morning. Nobody knew if he had any prior disease. His untimely demise has really saddened not only his family but all the people of ‘Gopa pura’ including the members of the Dhanu Yatra committee. I pray before Maa Samalei to give strength to his family at this time of extreme grief,” said Sureswar Satapathy, Secretary of Bargarh Dhanu Yatra Committee.

Dhanu Yatra will start on December 27 and will conclude on January 6, 2023.