After Pune, Odisha man gets gold mask worth Rs 3.5 lakh

Known as 'gold man', Alok Mohanty was inspired by Pune's Kurhade

Following in the footsteps of Pune’s gold mask man Shankar Kurade, a Cuttack resident also bought himself a custom-made gold mask worth Rs 3.5 lakh.

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Unlike Kurhade’s mask though, 55-year-old Alok Mohanty’s gold mask is fully functional. The base mask is N95 with gold threads woven on top and weighs around 100 grams.

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“After I saw a man in Mumbai making gold masks, I decided to get one for myself too. I contacted a jeweller of Zaveri Bazar, Mumbai with the proposal to prepare a mask of gold and the latter agreed," he told ANI.

The mask took 22 days to make after Mohanty placed the order. The elastic band makes it comfortable and provides a secure fit, he told PTI on Friday

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Mohanty told ANI that he iss known as 'gold man' because of his love for the precious metal and has been wearing gold jewellery for the past 40 years.

He has also been distributing food and other essential items to the needy during the Covid-19 pandemic and has a penchant for feeding stray animals, PTI reported.