Harshita
SITAPUR: As the name sounds similar to that of the deadly coronavirus, people of 'Korauna' village are facing a lot of ridicule. The village is located about 90 kilometers from Lucknow and its people want a name change so as to avoid the unnecessary criticism.
Raju Tripathi, a local resident, said, "Even our relatives joke about the similarity in the name and tell us that they will not visit Korauna. If we tell any stranger where we live in, we are greeted with amused glances. One person who called on my phone -- apparently a wrong number -- said 'How are you still alive?' - when I told him that I was from Korauna."
Karauna, however, is the first stop in the 84-Kosi Parikrama which is a pilgrimage undertaken by thousands of people.
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Expressing his anger that how suddenly the villagers are being treated as a criminal for some crime they did not even commit, Gokul, a local farmer, said, "The name of the village has been existing for decades, but suddenly, we are being treated as a pariah."
The village is located in Misrikh tehsil and comprises about 9000 people. It also has a government schools and other basic amenities. As a matter of fact, Korauna village is one of the better-developed villages in the state.
Gokul further said that after the lockdown is lifted, all of them will be requesting the government for a name change of the village. "In any case, Korauna does not mean anything and the corona memory is going to live for long. It is better to opt for a change of name rather than face barbs and ridicule in the coming years," he said.
Incidentally, the village is still safe from the virus.
