Rath yatra eve thoughts:

Electricity has made an entry into the Lord Jagannath temple and so have CC TV cameras. Steam jet cleaning - from modern gadgets- is planned for cleaning the sanctum sanctorum, which becomes slippery and shabby after the Prasad is presented before the lord. A multi story glass, steel and cement structure is about to replace the old and ugly Anand Bazar. Scores of people have been recruited with assured salary as guards and that has substantially improved the security of tourists inside the temple. The gross torture and abuse of outstation tourists has come down owing to these administrative steps. The king plays only a symbolic role and the real power over the temple vests in the hands of IAS, IPS,OAS and other government servants.
No longer people die – inhumanly- crushed under the wheels of the chariots, the police ensures safety of the pilgrims. Gone are the days when most people trekked the entire distance by their bare feet; most of the pilgrims –now a days- visit the temple city by vehicles powered by fossil fuel. No longer people die in hordes during Rath yatra due to the unsanitary condition and dysentery and diarrhea are no longer killer diseases. So “Swagra Dwara” is no longer a dreaded mention-for pilgrims and their relations- it has rather become an industrial corpse burning centre, which is sought after by people dying in old age.

There are so many changes in the rituals and religious practices; can we not plead for one more change to protect our environment? How if we stopped felling so many trees- every yea- for new chariots and instead used steel wheels, axles and beams for construction of these chariots? The scientific advancements would help construction of more gorgeous chariots and we can preserve the outward look for aesthetic purpose.
Remember, it’s not about only those hree chariots in Puri; religious zeal has pervaded into our villages and there also they go for Rath yatras. One saving grace- owing to scarcity of funds and time of the devotees- in other places they reuse old chariots. Yet more and more villages want their own Raths, every passing year, and that calls for felling thousands of trees. So if Puri sets an example others would follow and that would save those precious trees and forest, whose cover has any way gone down below the acceptable level. Its pertinent to mention here that for a balanced growth we need at least 30% forest cover and at present we have only 20% and that is also dwindling day by day.

Do we not call him ‘Jagannath’- the lord of the universe? So, how can we exclude trees from his protection?