New Delhi: The disrespect mooted out during the eviction of 90 year-old Odissi Guru Padma Shri Mayadhar Rout from his officially allotted residence shows how much insensitive is the Center when it comes to taking care of the custodians of India’s cultural traditions.
The bizarre pictures of the Odishi Guru standing outside of his residence in New Delhi’s Asian Games Village with all his belongings including the Padma Shri citation laying on the street cropped up yesterday much to the surprise of many and have brought wide reactions against the inhumanly treatment. Prime Minister Modi had said that the Padma Awards have been made the awards of the common man but the way the common man is treated can not be excused.
Though the Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs had made up its mind to evict the senior artists, the way its officials brought them to the streets is deplorable. The whole episode shows how the Modi Government preaches something and practices something other.
Guru Mayadhar Rout was allotted the house for his contribution to the Odissi Dance. He never commercialized his dance experience but taught many disciples free of cost. His health is also not well and has multiple ailments. The officials who evicted the senior citizen in these heat wave conditions should have given him some time, as he had given assurance to vacate the house in the near future.