Rath Yatra – The ritual of devotees cancelled, ‘in the interest of public safety’

Ultimately it’s The Will of God. A true devotee knows – His Will is supreme. Not a element moves without his permission. Faith is the under cast to the truth in every situation – Thy Will Be Done. We bow to his will. The almighty saved his people. For him , his people are more important. The Covid situation was and still is critical. The lord did not want his people to be put at risk, for he lives in the hearts of people.

Rath Yatra is for the devotees. The Lord comes out on his chariot to bestow his blessings on the devotees who come from all corners of the world. In the absence of devotees , what is the significance of Rath Yatra. It is a two way path.

The last three months of lockdown enforcement has been resilient. People have sacrificed their lives, livelihoods and loved ones. The lord himself has seen these sacrifices. The sacrifice of these months should not fail. The Lord will definitely not want His people’s sacrifice to go waste.

Nearly 7000 big and small Rath Yatras move across Odisha. It would not have been possible for administration to stop the other Rath Yatras if Puri Rath Yatra was on. That would have meant lakhs of people congregating – disastrous in the times of rising Covid cases across the country.

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the annual Rath Yatra and associated activities at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri in the wake of the coronavirus pademic. The yatra was scheduled to be held on June 23.

The order was passed in a plea by an NGO Odisha Vikas Parishad which had pointed out the public health risk involved if the annual event is allowed to take place.