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RathaJatra and Memories

"Hey Nihar, did we forget something to purchase ?", cautioned my friend Bithal midway while returning back from the market to home. So the contents inside the bags were matched against the list and it was found out that 250gms of maida was missed.

                    This used to be one of those days before RathaJatra (Rathyatra) some 15-16 years back. Together 10-15 of my school friends every year celebrate Ratha Jatra by decorating a wooden makeshift resembling a tiny chariot. This was thankfully a noble idea by my grandfather and the tiny chariot makeshift was made under his personal supervision. Maida as we know is an adhesive and was used for sticking the color papers to the chariot and each of us turns designer for a couple of hours. And here comes a colorful tiny chariot to be pulled in the afternoon. But before that we never forget to assess the look of the chariot and if needed some last moment final touches are accomodated only if most of us agree.
I used to be and still am very poor in understanding color arrangements and hence usually keep myself away from the above process. When most of my friends are busy with adhesive and color papers,  I peep in to the TV. Hundreds of thousands of people at a time on the TV screen amuses me. The inimitable live commentary by Pandit Charan Ram Dash along with the musical confluence of different instruments in the background acts as adhesive for me.I stay glued to the TV. I try to follow the random flow with which PanditJi voices the proceedings and try to memorise. I fail and I try and it goes on. PAHANDI (Bringing the idols outside of the temple on to the chariots), GAJAPATI (The King), CHHERA PAHANRA (Sweeping ceremony by the king with a golden broom) - Many commentators explain all these, they sing along, pronounce many slokas and I with my innocence listen everything and get more amused every now and then.

In between all these I come back to my friends in regular intervals and make them feel as if I'm too helping in the decoration. It's when JagaKalia (Widely used pet name for Lord Jagannath across Odisha) is brought to the chariot and the divine cry by the devotees reaches a crescendo, we all rush towards the TV. With folded hands and closed eyes we seek his blessings. Incredible, unique and unmatched emotions run along me and evokes a nascent idea about the soft power of the Lord of the Universe. Along with the blowing of kahali, the clang of the ghanta, and the beating of the Mrudanga in a unique rhythmic movement all the regal rituals are performed and finally by the time the chariots are drawn on the BADA DANDA (The Grand Street) towards the Gundicha Temple, our tiny chariot looks ready for the celestial journey.Just when the chariot pulling takes the pace at Puri, we start bringing the 3 sibling deities to the chariot,worship them with floral offerings. We pull the chariot around the neighborhood and finally park the chariot at a neighbor's home with daily evening worship rituals there till the BAHUDA JATRA (The return journey).

 Though this innocent attempt to be a part of the  grandest Odia festival of RathaJatra was discontinued in 4-5 years when we grew up, I've never missed any single year since then in witnessing the Live telecast of this great festival. The idea of Lord Jagannath and his  divine realization that first came to me during my childhood only grew along with me. Even today witnessing RathaJatra live mostly through web-stream evokes the same sense of realization about the  Lord. I still try to follow the spontaneity in the commentary by the wordsmith that Pandit Charan Ram Dash is.And year by year I look forward to this day in awe to immerse my myself in the unique unison of Bhakt and Bhagban and chant loudly Jai Jagannath..Jai Jagannath..Jai Jagannath.
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