AHMEDABAD/VADODARA/RAJKOT, INDIA, August 3, 2002: On the first anniversary of the January 26 earthquake, the Narendra Modi government ordered special prayers to appease the dharti mata. Various organizations all over the state are praying for a revival of the monsoon. People are resorting to several methods to solicit divine intervention to avoid a drought. In Vadodara, plans are underway to bathe an elephant, in Rajkot a round-the-clock yagna, fire ceremony, is going on, and in Ahmedabad farmer leaders have given up food in hopes of bringing in the elusive showers. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s water supply committee and the Satyam Shivam Sundaram Samiti will conduct Parjanya yagna — a ceremony where an elephant will be bathed with pomp and fanfare — while a group of brahmins will invoke Lord Indra.
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