Residents of Gurugram, the IT capital of India, recently had a unique opportunity to experience and immerse themselves in devotional culture. From July 6th to 15th, eleven Rathayatras were organized in different parts of Gurugram. Scores of people from all age groups and different strata of society participated in the festival. 

Gurugram is considered the IT Capital of India and is home to 250 of the Fortune 500 companies. Most people living here are corporate employees with demanding work schedules throughout the week and a lack of opportunities to engage in social, cultural, and spiritual activities has led to increasing cases of stress and depression among residents. 

Also, due to recent direction from the ISKCON Indian Continental Committee (ICC), all temples were required to organize Jagannath Rathayatras only within a stipulated time period, from the second to the tenth day of Asadh month. This decision came as a setback to some ISKCON leaders, as earlier, each temple could organize two to three Rathayatras at the time of the year which was best suited mass participation. 

However, the devotees at ISKCON Gurugram, led by President Rambhadra Das, saw this as an opportunity for the city. They recognized that the residents might not have the time or energy to participate in a Rathayatra at a distant location with a large crowd. Hence, the eleven Rathayatra were strategically placed in parts of the city, ensuring that participants did not have to travel long distances after a busy day at work.

Every day of the allotted slot, a Rathayatra was organized. On two of the days, two Rathayatras were held. In this way, Lord Jagannath’s blessings were extended to more people than was possible through two or more grand Rathayatra spread throughout the year. Organizers also prepared a new Rath using a modified mini-truck, selected venues, and allotted responsibilities to volunteers and participants. 

The response was much more overwhelming than anyone could have imagined. Each Rathayatra had scores of participants. Before each Rathayatra began, young children performed cultural performances, which were followed by devotional arti offerings by older residents, many of whom could not believe that the Lord had appeared so close to their homes. 

As the Rathayatra progressed amidst melodious sankirtan, led by ISKCON Kirtan Ministry head Sri Krishna Chaitanya Swami and Sundar Gopal Das, GBC Zonal Supervisor for Gurugram, throngs joined from balconies to welcome the Lord who had come closer to their homes than ever before.

This was also an opportunity for many busy parents to introduce their kids to the glorious devotional culture of India. This opportunity is not generally available to them due to the cosmopolitan nature of the city and their hectic work schedules. Many families came to engage in the cleaning of the Rathayatra road with golden-colored broomsticks, symbols of devotion to the Lord. 

Each Rathayatra ended with the distribution of sumptuous prasadam to all participants. As each Rathayatra came to an end, devotees from the Temple’s organizing team cherished the devotional memories they experienced and shared with people and mentally prepared themselves for another amazing Rathayatra scheduled for the next day. 

For a combined video of all eleven Rathayatras, click here. Individual Rathayatra clips can be found below: