Sitapur: A sleepy village here has gained unwanted publicity after the coronavirus outbreak, just because of its name.
Situated about 20 km from the Sitapur district headquarter, the village with a population of 3,000 has a name similar to the virus that has caused a pandemic, claiming thousands of lives worldwide.
Kourana in Sitapur’s Sandana police circle is pronounced and spelled differently. But that hasn’t stopped the snide comments, villagers said.
Village head Manjushree Trivedi said Kourana has an ages-old history, as it is close to the pilgrimage spot of Naimisharanya.
Comparing it to corona is disheartening , she said.
“Naimisharanya’s chaurasi (84) kosi parikrama starts from this Kourana village every year and its name is mentioned even in Skanda Purana, she said, referring to its importance in the pilgrimage.
She added that the Dwarkadhish temple in the village is under renovation by the Tourism department and will come up as a pilgrimage centre in the coming days.
“But such are the times that the name of our village is being made into a joke, local resident Anil Verma said.”It is painful to hear that our village is linked to the name of the epidemic.”
Another resident said when villagers call police or a helpline, people at the other end react in a strange manner because of the name of the place.
Manjushree Trivedi, however, takes pride in stressing that as of now there has been no case of coronavirus infection in the village, or even in the district.
Kourana villagers are well aware of corona and are following government guidelines to prevent its spread, she said.