Hostel guard ‘Hanuman’ in double role

PURI: About 100 metres from the Gundicha Temple in Puri, a small crowd draws attention. The flashing of camera bulbs would give the impression a celebrity has arrived on the festive scene. But it’s a man attired like Lord Hanuman, who emerges from the gathering and swings his mace in the air with shouts of “Jai Shri Ram!” The cloud cheers and claps.
Krushna Chandra Meher, 60, is a resident of Sambalpur, who as Hanuman played the role of the Lord’s protector, when the Rath Yatra commenced on Saturday. By now everyone is familiar with his various impersonations: He was sometimes Angad, sometimes Sugrib and Hanuman. “I derive my strength from Lord Hanuman. Whoever takes his form, gets his strength,” Meher avers.
While he has donned the garb of Hanuman, who protects Lord Jagannath according to legend, in real life too Meher is a protector. “I am the security guard of the girls’ hostel at Sambalpur University. There are 500 girls residing at the hostel and I make sure all of them are safe. They are my responsibility,” he says proudly, as he is surrounded by another group of curious visitors.
People touch his feet to seek blessings and Meher “blesses” them, softly placing the mace (gada) on their heads. He patiently poses with them for photographs, if requested. He embraces some of them. Santosh Rout, a 17-year-old student from Dhenkanal, who clicked two selfies with Meher, says, “He is very patient and tolerant. When I asked him to pose for a second click, he obliged and hugged me. He even allowed me to hold the mace for a moment.”
Meher says he feels honoured at the respect people shower on him. “Everyone comes here for a darshan of Lord Jagannath. I am the Hanuman who protects him on the chariot. So people want to spend a few moments with me. It gives me immense pleasure when they respect as they would an idol of Lord Hanuman,” he says.
For a man like Meher, who has to run a family on a meager salary, 12 days of leave from work is a big break. “I am serving the Lord. I have never had any problems. The administration pays me and I have never had any problems. Problems are in the mind. By God’s grace, I have never had any problems,” he says.
He says he was born on Janmashtami, Lord Krushna’s birthday, in 1965. “That is where my connection with God begins,” says Meher, adding that he was gifted the mace in Mathura many years ago.
The septuagenarian, who has been playing the role of Hanuman at Rath Yatra for the past five years, feels if more people like him protect girls and ensure their safety, there would be no crime. “People should understand the importance of girls in society. I hope while taking pictures with me, people also get inspired. The Lord created us to be good human beings. And we must follow his order,” he says and melts in the crowd.