The Antarctica ….. oops!!!!! Puri Rath Yatra

This was a very different kind of an activity. Perhaps it was done for the first time in Antarctica. No one would have ever thought that this could be done this way.

Today, the 4th of July 2008 was the day of the Jagannath (Puri) rath yatra. There are two Oriya gentlemen in our expedition, Asit & Hembram, who were very enthusiastic about celebrating the day in the traditional style. But there was no ‘rath’ available and no ‘road’ on which to take it out.

There is a popular saying here “Antarctica ka doosra naam jugaad hai”. So a ‘rath’ was fashioned overnight. A wall mounted rack, which formed the palki, was pulled down and mounted on two wooden planks with the help of bamboos to complete the ‘rath’. Work went on all night. Raw materials were collected from the containers in the distant Kuber bhandar in the dead of the night. Krishnamoorthy & Gudade made the effort to go to the Kuber Bhandar in the dead of the night and the biting cold and located everything they needed with the help of torch light. Curtain cloth and plastic flowers were used to decorate the ‘palki’. Finally, the picture of lord Jagannath (luckily, it was available in the station Mandir), was placed inside the ‘palki’. The ‘rath’ was now ready for the ‘yatra’. Preparing of Prasad was done by the cook. Some concoctions of rice, milk and sugar were prepared. By 11AM, the preparations were complete, and we were ready to roll. This was the brightest hour of the day. The sun’s glow was at its best. The day was absolutely clear and windless, albeit cold at -22deg. This was a blessing from lord Jagannath, probably for his devotees.

We carried the ‘rath’, ‘palki’ et al on our shoulders and began walking to the lake. Most did not know which gods were to be invoked on the day. So someone shouted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Another one shouted ‘Hanumanji ki Jai’. I could not gather what the our Oriya comrades said. But the ‘rath yatra’ was on its way to the lake (why the lake was chosen, no one knew). The non- devotees like yours truly were ready with their cameras and could be seen running around and clicking this delightful spectacle. We passed over rocks and fresh snow and finally reached the Priyadarshani Lake.

The lake was very slippery due to the fresh snow after a recent blizzard. The first to step on it was ‘cameraman’ Gudade in his rush to capture the spectacle from front. Soon he could be seen sliding across the lake, his camera following him. Luckily, there were no damages to either Gudade or the camera. Before the ‘rath’ was taken on the lake, Asit performed a pooja by the lakeside after placing the ‘rath’ on the snow. This was followed by a photography session. The ‘yatra’ then resumed again and stepped on the lake. The ‘rath’ bearers were treading cautiously, narrowly escaping slipping on the ice. The ‘rath’ was then placed on the ice and pulled by the ropes (these were mountaineering ropes). People had a merry time pulling the ‘rath’ all over the lake. The event was finally over by 12 noon.

It is activities like these that keep our spirits high during the daunting polar nights.