My biggest connection with Lord Jagannath is that He is my "father", and there is a strong reason behind this that I cherish a lot.

It was in 2004, and I had fallen seriously ill. My parents took me to the best doctors in the state, but then my grandmother did something extraordinary. She performed some rituals and donated me to the Lord. It was declared in the house that from that day onwards, I was the Lord's son. Surprisingly, I got completely cured within a week. So, I am a strong follower of Him as He is my rescuer.

The ceremony, which she had performed that day, also mandates that once the wish is fulfilled, one has to buy the person back from the Lord by performing similar rituals. But, my grandmother has not yet fetched me from Him, and I do not know when it will happen. Frankly, I do not want to come back as I am completely enjoying my stint as His son. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and strength.

Since that year, I have made it a point to visit Jagannath temple at least once a year. I am completely mesmerised by his aura and coming here enhances my spiritual link with him. This is something that does not happen anywhere else in the world where people from various caste, creed and religion come together to pull the chariot and accompany the Trinity to the abode of Their aunt.

Here, I got an opportunity to meet a number of foreign students, who are doing research on the Jagannath culture that was extremely inspiring and is a witness to the reach of the festival. I also met a number of devotees from across the country and many of them have been coming consecutively for more than 10 years.

Every ritual associated with this festival is unique from the sweeping of the chariots by the Puri king to the concept of the deities falling ill after the snan yatra. Personally, the one I love the most is the pahandi, in which the Trinity are brought to the chariot by Their followers. Donning the headgear called tahia, they look mesmerising swaying in the air.

The first time I visited rath yatra was in 2004 and the reason I had come to Puri was to witness that ritual. I still remember forcing my father to take me to Puri, so that I could see the Lord swinging along with His devotees.

My enthusiasm remains the same as it used to be during my childhood. And the moment He is taken up to the chariot and His face is turned towards the sea of people, the first glimpse of His eyes makes my day. People began raising their hands in air chanting " Jai Jagannath", that instant gives me goosebumps.

Apart from the rituals, the crowd attracts me to the festival. Thousands of people eagerly wait for hours to either pull the chariot or simply have a glance of Him. Although, I am not a kind of a person who loves to be among the crowd, but it is very unusual that the crowd here becomes tolerable on the day of rath yatra. In fact, I enjoy being one among the crowd. This is the kind of aura that He has where He makes you forget weaknesses and just seep into the spirit of the atmosphere.

I also like the spirit of volunteerism shown by the people and the administration during arrangements. I saw a young boy lifting a very old woman in his arms, so that she could see the Lord on His chariot. Such sights are very encouraging.

I wanted to come here during Nabakalebar last year, but could not make it as I was busy in academics. I just completed my graduation and want to join the civil services in future. As I am going to start my preparations for one of the toughest examinations in the country, I wanted to seek His blessings and there could be no other occasion other than rath yatra.

AS TOLD TO ANWESHA AMBALY

♦ The author is a graduate of NIT, Rourkela