Festivals are that magnets which attract the repelling souls. Festival is that mother which gives birth to a day, when long lost friends congregate with each other. Festivals give rise to positivity from the yoke of negativity and suppression. Festivals are the fuel wood which is necessary to complete the combustion of resistance and ignorance and excite a spirit of revolt. On this glorious day, one could see on streets people from every background irrespective of being rich or poor, moving blissfully and brimming with laughter.
Real socialism and Indian constitution’s claim of India being a socialist country could easily be traced out. Each society has some festivals inbuilt in its culture to generate a sense of collective identity amongst the people. Modern gizmos have cleaved the bonding between the younger generation and the older generation and in this situation, festivals act no lesser than adhesives. One such glue to bind together all the homosapiens out of their mundanely is the pious and charismatic Rathayatra festival.
It is believed and is passed from one generation to the other that Rathayatra(car festival) has been celebrated since 1150 AD, during the Ganga dynasty. This is celebrated globally by smiling devotees between Asadha Shukla Dwitya to Asadha Shukla Dasami, mostly falling in between mid-June to 1st week of July after the holy “Akhya Tritiya”. In this vast, mythological, devotional, crowd puller festival Lord Jagannath along with Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra visits his Mausi’s house for 9 days and on the way, giving darshan to his millions of devotees.
All the devotees pull the gigantic chariots on “Bada Danda”( Royal road for the chariot) in Puri. One astonishing fact about the Rathayatra is that this festival is celebrated by millions of devotees coming not only from different states but from across the world. Then, in the Gundicha Temple lord takes different reincarnation like Baraha, Ganesh, Ram avatar etc. During this Rathayatra festival, in every home one could see traditional Odia cuisine being cooked like Poda Pitha, Chena Podo, Ambalu, Kakara, Mahaprasaad, Arisha peetha (traditional cakes) and the unique Dalma( A curry made of various vegetables).
It is intriguing for anyone to learn that the English word ‘Juggernaut’ meaning a merciless, destructive and unstoppable force originated when the British mispronounced the word Jagannath( Lord of the universe). The rathas are approximately 45 feet high and 35 feet square. There is a legend that the Rathas would never move without the ‘Chhera pahara’. During the festival, the Gajapati king wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood, water and powder with sincere devotion. This ritual is the flag bearer of the modern-day concept of socialism as there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati king and the humble devotee.
Today, Ratha yatra is a global festival. It is celebrated in Bangladesh as Dhamrai Ratha Yatra, Ratha Yatra of Guptipara and Santipur Hindu communities outside India such as in Singapore. This Ratha Yatra is a kind of moral boost up, for the predominantly agrarian Indian society. This institution is an occasion for enhancing the bonding of all kith and kins, wherever, they are placed across the country or world.
By: NAYANIKA PRUSTY
