Jagatsinghpur: The applause and appreciation from an awestruck audience was the staple for this couple for many years until Coronavirus came prowling in to snatch the ‘Revered’ stage away from them turning their lives upside down in just a couple of months time.
Their penchant for acting and stages have now catapulted to a street vending cart which comes ringing every morning to the same place beside the road serving tea and food to the hungry.
Manoj Routray and his wife Manu from Mantripatana under Kujang block in Jagatsighpur district have acted in Jatra for close to 20 years. It is the stage that brought these two souls closer and ultimately made bound them together in the sacred thread of marriage. But little did they know that such a time will come that will force them to sell tea and snacks as a roadside vendor.
Manoj who originally hailed from Mahanga in Kendrapara has made Mantripatana his home because of his passion for rural drama and the studies of his son. He has…