Puri ‘Rath Yatra’ Gets Cancelled, Emotions Rise High As Servitors In No Mood To Give Up

  • | Friday | 19th June, 2020

As the entire nation struggles hard to control the spread of Coronavirus and, on the other side, India remains stunned by what happened along the LoC, here in Odisha, there is an inopportune downpour of vitriol among the stakeholders over the suspense surrounding the Rath Yatra in Puri. The matter had gone to the Orissa High Court and whatever the court had observed is already known. However, through a couple of caveats, the matter was in the Supreme Court and on Thursday, the apex court has issued the directive that, in the prevailing circumstances of Covid  it will not be safe to hold the Car festival and the judges also said that, ‘the lord Jagannath will not forgive us’.

By D N Singh

Bhubneshawar: As the entire nation struggles hard to control the spread of Coronavirus and, on the other side, India remains stunned by what happened along the LoC, here in Odisha, there is an inopportune downpour of vitriol among the stakeholders over the suspense surrounding the Rath Yatra in Puri. The matter had gone to the Orissa High Court and whatever the court had observed is already known. However, through a couple of caveats, the matter was in the Supreme Court and on Thursday, the apex court has issued the directive that, in the prevailing circumstances of Covid  it will not be safe to hold the Car festival and the judges also said that, ‘the lord Jagannath will not forgive us’.   

Regardless of the outcome from the apex court, in the circumstances that pertained to an issue torn between faith/tradition and the delicate situation created by the virus, the concerned people should have resisted the temptations to push the matter to become a legal bout. Yet they did and the court also, in its verdict, took resort to religious virtues and sheltered itself under ‘His’ aura and turned the table on the ones from Puri those who had made it more a prestige issue than a reason of substance.

Ominous Prophesies By Priests

Once it is settled by the apex court, now there is a phase of crossfire of ominous prophesies for the world. Someone said that, if Rath Yatra is not held, that will script the most infamous chapter in history. Other one has foreseen the doom of the world just because the Car festival has been cancelled. Further interesting and amusing one came from a senior    Sevayat who made it bit paradoxical. He said that, if the festival is cancelled then another Rath Yatra cannot be possible for 12 years to come! But such logics hold no water as the history has it that, the festival had been stalled in more than many occasions and the time went on, so did the tradition as usual.

Priests In No Mood To Give Up

Servitors of Puri are now out in the open to turn the table on the State government for its alleged role in siding with the petitioner in order to see the case weigh in favour of the petitioner who had prayed for stalling the festival on Covid ground.

Government Maintains Composure

In other words, the servitors have dubbed the outcome as a pre-planned design by the state government. But, looking back at the chronology of events it can be said that, state has maintained a very prudent balance in its dispositions right from making of chariots to the sacred ‘Snan Yatra’ of the deities. The verdict from the apex court is more sacrosanct than the rants over traditions at a time when lives are more paramount. Be it the state or the Sevayats, reason must be allowed to have its space in such situations.    

However, after the apex court’s verdict, the community of priests were expected to indulge in a verbal warfare carried out under various religious and ideological shades and that is happening now. Which can be avoided .


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