Sevak Family Mourns the Loss of Former Sevak Samiti President and Village Elder Lakshmidhar Dixit
Kakatpur, 04/05/2024 (Tushar Dixit): On the sacred day of Ekadashi in the month of Baisakh—a date considered both auspicious for birth and spiritually significant for attaining salvation in death—Kakatpur mourned the passing of its village elder and former Sevak Samiti President, the late Lakshmidhar Dixit.
A former employee in the State Police Department, Lakshmidhar Dixit had left his government service to return to his native village, where he devoted himself to the service of the community and local traditions. Known for his active involvement in every village festival and religious event, he became an indispensable figure at Maa Mangala Temple. He played a vital role in conducting the sacred rituals, including recitations of Gitagovinda before the Bada Singhar Puja and Ananda Lahari after it.
Whenever any event was held in the village—be it community feasts or preparations for the temple’s Nabakalebara—Dixit was the first person everyone looked for. His identity extended beyond Kakatpur to the Nayahat market area, where he was widely respected. During his tenure with the Sevak Samiti, significant developmental works were undertaken, such as the construction of the roof of the Dakshina Chandi Temple and various structural improvements to the Swameshwar Temple. He was known for standing firm on issues affecting temple development, even when it meant taking on opposition parties.
During the Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannath, he was a frontline warrior, deeply involved in all activities. On the day of his passing, after completing the Thakur Puja, he suddenly suffered a heart attack while seated at home. He was 81 years old. Feeling chest pain, he collapsed from his chair. As news of his death spread, well-wishers rushed to his residence for a final viewing.
Many prominent individuals attended his final rites, including Kakatpur MLA and Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Puri Zilla Parishad Vice President Swadhin Kumar Nayak, senior sevayats Ramesh Chandra Dixit, Debaraj Dixit, Zilla Parishad member Sanyukta Dixit, Samiti member Samarendra Dixit, Sarpanch Abhaya Kumar Sethi, former Sarpanch Tapan Kumar Dixit, youth leader Himanshu Bhushan Dixit, Manas Kumar Dixit, Sevak Samiti President Manoranjan Panda, Secretary Pabitra Kumar Dixit, Shivaji Panda, Pradipta Kumar Dixit, Kakatpur Press Club President Kamal Lochan Dixit, Sanjay Samal, nephew Niranjan Dixit, Narayan Dixit, Pabitra Mohan Dixit, and many others.
In a solemn and spirited funeral procession, mourners raised slogans like “Shri Dixit Amar Rahe” (Long live Shri Dixit). The procession passed through Mangala Temple and the market before reaching the village cremation ground. His eldest son, Ashok Kumar Dixit, performed the last rites, while his younger sons, Congress Panchayat President Nalini Dixit and Trilochan Dixit, were also present to pay their respects.
