In Howrah, ‘parikrama’ of deities starts from Muslim prof’s house

KOLKATA: The Kadamtala neighbourhood in Howrah eagerly awaits the day of Rath Yatra. Not only children but adults too participate in a unique Rath Yatra that starts from the residence of Sheikh Makbul Islam. Islam, along with his Hindu neighbours, takes Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra for a ‘parikrama’. In this journey, they carry the deities in their arms instead of using a wooden chariot.

Islam, a professor of Bengali at St Paul’s Cathedral Mission College in Kolkata, used to reside in the mission’s quarters during his childhood, where his father was associated. “Here, many of our neighbours were Vaishnavites from Odisha. I was immensely influenced by their religious culture. The influence has had an everlasting impression on me,” said Islam.

Islam’s association with Jagannath has its roots in his native village at Bagnan in Howrah.

He vividly shares his memories of ‘rath mela’ (fair on the occasion of Rath Yatra), where he would buy ‘venpu’ (a kind of small bugle made of leaves or paper), colourful birds made of naturally grown cork, and relish hot ‘jalebis’ and ‘papads’ with his friends.

“Not only me, many children from the Muslim community would wait for this week-long fair,” said Islam, who has done extensive research on Jagannath. His areas of research include folkloristics, visual folklore, folkmusicology, Jagannath consciousness, and comparative religion, Bengal-Odisha. He received the “Navakalevara Award-2015” for his research on Jagannath from the hands of Shankaracharya of Puri.

The Rath Yatra procession ends at the house of another neighbour, Dinesh Kumar Khan. According to the rituals, the trio — Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra, along with Sudarshan — go to their ‘masir bari’ (maternal aunt’s residence) and return after seven days, which is celebrated as ‘Ulto Rath’ (return journey). Aloka Khan, sister-in-law of Dinesh Khan, said, “Everyone in this locality enjoys the day with heartfelt content. After reaching our residence, ‘prasad’ and ‘bhog’ (offerings to the deities) are served among the devotees.

During the spectacular journey of the deities, locals participate with traditional musical instruments, lamps, and incense sticks.

“Children are the most enthusiastic among all. The idea of Rath Yatra is all about integration. In Puri, it is held in an open space so that people from all sections of society can participate,” said Islam, adding, “Children of the present generation should know about Ratha Yatra and Jagannath so that they can carry forward this tradition in the future.”

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