Puri chariot makers not ready to throw in the towel yet

BHUBANESWAR: The Supreme Court’s stay on Rath Yatra this year might have dealt a blow to carpenters working on chariots, but it has failed to throw a spanner in their work. Hopeful of getting a positive signal from the Supreme Court by Monday, the carpenters are leaving no stone unturned to beautify the chariots. Rath Yatra is scheduled for observance on Tuesday.
“A number of people and organisations have submitted applications in the Supreme Court, seeking reconsideration of the June 18 order and permission to hold Rath Yatra in a restricted manner. We want the chariots to be ready for the Rath Yatra on Tuesday. If the apex court modifies its order and allows Rath Yatra, we would be the happiest persons on the earth,” chief carpenter of Jagannath’s Nandighosh chariot Bijay Mahapatra said.
While 90 per cent work is over, the carpenters, artists and painters are busy draping the chariots. “We have been hurt since Thursday's order. But, we cannot stop the work midway,” said Rabi Bhoi, another carpenter.
Chariot pulling is the most attractive feature of the car festival. Boarding their iconic chariots, the sibling deities--Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra--go on annual sojourn from Jagannath temple to Gundicha Temple (birthplace of the deities) by covering the 3-km distance on the Grand Road amid million cheers.
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.
“We do not know what will happen to the chariots this time if the Rath Yatra does not take place. Some people have been suggesting that the chariots, if cannot be pulled this time, may be preserved for next year. But our tradition does not allow that. The wooden chariot parts may turn weak by keeping them stationary for one year,” Mahapatra said.
Around 100 carpenters had undergone Covid-19 test and were engaged in the chariot work after they tested negative. Amid the pandemic, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on May 7 approved the state government’s proposal of starting construction of chariots for June 23 Rath Yatra at Puri.
This year, the work on chariots started late. Though the chariot work should have started from April 26 Akshaya Tritiya, the work was suspended due to lockdown restrictions. “We normally take 45 days to complete the three chariots. This time, we started the work from May 8. Construction work is almost complete,” another carpenter said.