A sudden drum roll started. My flat is just beside the main street and there was a sudden commotion that made its way through - a celebratory noise of sorts. I rushed to the top of the building and looked down from the edge of the rooftop.
Lord Jagannath along with his siblings - Balaram and Subhadra were going back home from his aunt’s house after their week-long vacation - the occasion known as ‘Ulto Rath Yatra’, one of the well known celebrations among the long list of Hindu festivities. The ratha aka chariot was gleaming with vibrant flowers and confetti. It had a long rope that was used to draw the chariot along the road. A long parade escorted their ride back home. It was a jolly crowd. They had drums and trumpets and keyboards. People were dancing and making merry.
The bird’s view that I was getting from atop was unique. The tuk-tuks with their yellow tops were stranded at one side of the road, waiting and watching the Yatra; the little people were flaring their arms and legs, jiggling their bums to the beats of the music; the neat order in which the procession marched ahead, pausing and showing off their skills intermittently; the white uniformed traffic police constantly managing the usual overpour of vehicles; and in the middle of everything, the gorgeous chariot caught the most attention, inside it sat the siblings - the Lords; there was a method in the madness, a happy cheer amidst the chaos.
The sky reflected the colours on the road as yellow and orange painted the wide canvas. The Sun was almost done with his duty in the Eastern hemisphere, slowly crossing the horizon whilst the Ratha took the Lords back home. Two crested bulbuls with their red whiskers flew by, they had their nest in the corner of this rooftop. The parade faded in the distant road, the Sun set, I went back to my room.
