The wheels of this chariot rolled from Central Park, did the rounds of Salt Lake, and were finally stationed back at the park where it will stay till Ultarath on July 9.
The arrangements were elaborate. The chariots were decorated and musical band parties lead the way of the chariot. MLA and minister Sujit Bose inaugurated the rath-er mela and initiated the rathyatra by lighting the ceremonial lamp.
And then it was time to pull. Members, those who helped decorate the chariot as well as residents from different blocks of Salt Lake came together to tug at the rope. Many bystanders came forward simply to touch the rope and seek blessings of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra.
The priests sitting on the chariot threw small packets of prasad containing sweets for bystanders. Children in the streets lunged at the packets as they dropped. The security guards of Central Park too caught a pack and shared prasad.
“I miss the days when I was young and would decorate my own rath with flowers and leaves with my family,” said Nimai Das, a security guard at Central Park. “We used to visit the Puri temple often and witness the Rathyatra there. I’m happy to be able to watch and be a part of Salt Lake’s Rathyatra today.”
Anjana Saha, a resident of BL Block, was a part of the procession. “We come routinely every year and pull the rope for some distance and this year was no different. We made sure to sanitise our hands before and after touching the rope, had our masks on throughout the procession and shall shower as soon as we get home,” she said.
Kumar Shankar Sadhu, the general secretary, said it was unfortunate to have missed such grandeur during Rathyatra for the last two years. “For the last two years we carried the idols in motor cars and toured Salt Lake. But thankfully, this year we were able to provide the opportunity to pull the rope of the chariot,” he said. President of the group, Ramen Das, and vice-president Tapas Sengupta played integral parts in hosting the event.
New Town 1CA to 1CD Blocks
The rath being decorated. Showli Chakraborty
The Residents Welfare Organisation of 1CA to 1CD blocks of New Town organised a Rathyatra from their community office.
The evening began with puja and aarti of Lord Jagannath. Following the customary puja, Jagannath, Balram and Subhadra were seated on the chariot by the priests. Hidco chairman Debashis Sen was present and swept the ground before the rath set out, just like it is done by the king of Puri before the rath sets out in Puri. “It is a humbling experience to be able to do something like this. I am glad people invited me here. Both my wife and I are devotees of Jagannath,” said Sen. Avijit Sengupta, the association's assistant treasurer, said: “Rath marks an important date in the Bengali calendar. It tells you that just 90 days are left before Durga Puja. We start all preparations from the day. The chariot is taken to all the blocks where the devotees offer prayers. Prasad is distributed along the way.”
Women and children also played an active role at the venue.
Sudha Das, a resident of CA Block, said: “We have been busy since morning with chores like decorating the chariot, chopping the fruits and getting things ready for the puja. The festive season has officially begun in Bengal,” she smiled.
Showli Chakraborty
Shri Jagannath Utsav Samity
Preparations under way for the chariots to roll. Debasmita Bhattacharjee
Three chariots for the three deities, accompanied by trailers full of folk dancers, devotional singers and artistes dressed as Krishna and his gopis. And of course a sea of devotees crying “Joy Jagannath!”
The Rathyatra of Shri Jagannath Utsav Samity set off from CB 54 near Tank 2 and did a 4km tour of Sector 1, stopping at “aarti sthals” for breaks. These were booths set up by the organisers offering drinks and snacks to those pulling the chariots in the sweltering heat.
Employees rushed out of offices to pull the rope for a few feet, children did so too, some while still pulling their miniature chariots. Many came out to their balconies and folded their hands in obeisance as the idols passed by.
Adhip Sen, resident of BC Block, was glad to be a part of this procession after two years.
“I used to join this procession every year till the pandemic. I’m delighted to be back this time and shall pull the rope till the end,” he said.
In the crowd was a tourist from Amsterdam, David Pinedo, who was highly impressed with the celebration. “The festivity is extravagant but in India, screaming seems to be very important,” he laughed, trying to cover his ears from the cacophony. But he wasn’t scared to be in crowd in the midst of a pandemic. “Of course it’ a disease that is killing people, but I think it’s killing only those with bad habits and an unhealthy lifestyles,” he explained.
The crowd was truly a threat to Covid protocols as hardly anyone had their masks on and sanitisers were nowhere to be seen. Unaware of the recent ban on plastics, many people ended up using plastic bags to bring prasad and flowers to the gods too.
“This was the 31st year of our Rathyatra and despite having celebrated it after two years, public participation was unbelievable,” said one of the 30-odd volunteers, who were supported on the road by more than 100 police personnel. “Devotees joined in from Lake Town, Bangur Avenue and Kankurgachi, and even besides the 12 official aarti stops we had set up on the route, many more unofficial ones came up with devotees offering us refreshments as we pulled along the chariot.”
Besides the Rathyatra, there are discourses every morning at CB 54, by acharya Samyuktanandaji of Chinmaya Mission, Bokaro. Lunch prasad is being distributed to some 2,000 devotees daily too, followed by cultural programmes in the evening. The Ultarath procession will take off from 4pm on July 9.
Aranyak Mojumdar
Ramakrishna Vivekananda Kendra
The rath being pulled by devotees. Shatadipa Bhattacharya
A chariot rolled out of DD Block’s Bidhannagar Ramakrishna Vivekananda Kendra last Friday with members and passers-by pulling its ropes fervently.
Seven-year-old Rishi Ghosh kept running to the chariot and back to his grandparents, who were standing near the centre’s gate as he couldn’t control his excitement about pulling such a juggernaut.
Shobha Saha was happy to be back at the centre to celebrate Rathyatra. “We are regulars here; I have been coming for more than 20 years now so every occasion in our lives is associated with this centre. But for the last two years we had to stay away. I’m happy things are looking up now so I could come. Still, I’m not without a mask,” said the BF Block resident.
After placing the idols on the chariot and performing puja in the passage of the kendra, it was pulled on the road. Two baskets of prasad were carried alongside for distribution among bystanders. The prasad was a mixture of items like puffed rice and batasha.
“Previously a large number of people would gather here for Rathyatra and a senior monk would come to perform the pujas. Due to the pandemic much had changed but we are hopeful things will get back to normal again,” said Anupa Chandra, a GC Block resident who also teaches at the school run by the organisation.
Shatadipa Bhattacharya