Lord knows whether I will be there next time to perform the job of transferring the Brahma (life force) of Lord Balabhadra, that will come after 19 years. At present, I am 65 and going to do the job consecutively for the fourth time.

The experience I have gathered over the years related to transfer of Brahma has made me more reserve, sober and reconciled with the ups and downs of the life.

The only aim at this moment is peaceful conduct of all rituals of the Lords.

So far, since we left our home on March 29 to bring the sacred wood till the construction of the four idols - Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra, Lord Jagannath and Goddess Sudarshan (the deity considered as weapon of Lord Jagannath), all the rituals have passed off smoothly. I hope the next 24 hour also passes without any hindrance with the blessings of the Lords.

Now that I am doing this job again, memory of 1969 Nabakalebar clouds my mind. In fact, I had been preparing for the job since 1964 after I lost my father.

My mother had been quite apprehensive about me doing the job, as there is a common belief that one who transfers the Brahma, doesn't live long. However, nothing has happened to me with the blessings of the Lord.

I convinced my mother that since I have been born in the family of a servitor, I have to discharge the responsibility. I had told my mother that we were the chosen souls by the Lord to carry out the rarest of the rare job and were the fortunate few.

Tears rolled down her cheeks when I bade her goodbye and participated in the Nabakalebar yatra that spreads over nearly two months. Since then, I have not looked back and have been doing all the rituals associated with the car festival each year with all dedication and devotion.

When I compare the 1969 Nabakalebar with this time, there is a huge difference. Now, with the advent of technology, all actions of the servitors are being watched by the public for which we have to be more careful. Any mistake on our part will send a wrong message to the society. This is the reason why I don't want to share my feelings and the mystery associated with the entire rituals relating to Brahma parivartan (transfer of life force) of the Lord.

But I can tell you a few things. On the intervening night of June 15 and June 16, we four badagrahis (chief servitors) will enter the temple, while others will sit at the mukti mandap, a pandal for scholarly priests.

All the lights will go off and there will be only one candle lit inside. In complete darkness, we will transfer the Brahma from the present idols to the new one. Then we will come back to disseminate the news to our servitor brothers that everything has been done smoothly. Later, we will take the old idols to give them a burial.

After doing that job, as per Hindu rituals, we will go into mourning. We will go to the nearby holy pond called Markanda puskarini and take a bath. Then we will come back to the temple and take mahaprasad, the cooked food of the temple. Then we will return home where our wives will be waiting. There are other rituals we have to observe. On the 10th day, we will tonsure our heads and on the 13th day, we will offer a community feast.

I am hopeful and confident that the next generation will carry out all rituals associated with the Jagannath cult with all devotion and diligence.