Odisha: For chariot-makers, efforts end in despair

BHUBANESWAR: Bijay Mahapatra, the chief carpenter of Jagannath’s Nandighosh chariot, was giving finishing touches to his work at Ratha Khala (the place where the chariots were being built) when he received the news that the Supreme Court has put brakes on this year’s Rath Yatra owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unprecedented news also came as a shock to all other carpenters, who had been toiling hard to complete the giant wooden chariots for the sibling deities — Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra — for the Rath Yatra on June 23. Around 100 carpenters had undergone the Covid-19 test and engaged in chariot work after they tested negative.
What pained them the most was that the chariots, even after completion, will not be used for Rath Yatra for the first time. “Every year, the chariots are dismantled after the end of Rath Yatra and used as firewood in the temple kitchen. Some portions of the chariots, including the wheels, are also auctioned by the temple administration to generate revenue for the temple. But this year, our hard work has gone in vain. For the first time, the chariots would not be pulled on Rath Yatra despite being ready,” Mahapatra said.
The carpenters said the state government should not have allowed the construction of chariots. “We cannot see the chariots being broken or auctioned before use. We are hurt,” Rabi Bhoi, another carpenter, said.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the minister of home affairs (MHA) had on May 7 approved the state government’s proposal to start the construction of chariots for Rath Yatra in Puri. The state government had sought the approval of the Centre for the chariot work.
This year, the work on the chariots started late. Though the chariot work should have started from Akshaya Tritiya (April 26), the work was suspended owing to the restrictions in the lockdown. “We usually take 45 days to complete the three chariots. This time, we started the work from May 8. The construction work was nearing completion,” another carpenter said.
Environmentalists said the government should not have allowed felling of trees for the chariot work amid uncertainty over the Rath Yatra.