Devotees hail the Lord as the chariots embark on their homeward journey on the occasion of bahuda yatra in Puri on Monday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Highly qualified youths, who belong to servitor families and used to work outside, have returned to Puri over the past few years. Most of them in their 20s and 30s are MBAs, engineers and professionals in various other fields. But, their attachment towards Lord Jagannath and their responsibilities at the temple score higher than their highflying careers, the youngsters say.

The ensuing Nabakalebar in 2015, when the deities will be carved again, is a major reason that most of these young servitors are back to spend time with the present deities in their last year. The Nabakalebar festival (change of idols) this time falls after 18 years and nearly 50 lakh people are expected to attend the mega event.

Within the past one year, about 10 young servitors returned home permanently. They do miss their friends in various cities, but none can be seen lamenting that it was pressure from families or that their career will now go down.

“Quite the contrary,” said Nutan Das Mohapatra, a 29-year-old hotel management graduate, who has permanently returned from Bangalore, “most of us are well connected with each other on social networking sites. But with the elders of the family this is not possible. We miss them, the temple and life inside it when we are outside the state, and hence, we took this decision. This is Lord Jagannath’s calling. We are lucky to be here before the Nabakalebar year,” he said.

“We needed exposure and education, and we got that. But, life for us is here. Many of us usually have plans to return home sooner or later. We cannot survive for long being so far from the Lord,” said Shyama Das Mohapatra, a software professional who worked in Bangalore, but returned to Puri this year, got married and is happily settled at home.

Talking about the change in career, with management degrees and other corporate skills, most of the young servitors have either ventured into business in real estate, hotels, websites or are busy giving a twist to traditional family business be it handloom store or craft shops. But they join their roles at the temple once back home.

A month or fortnight before rath yatra, all servitors working outside the city or anywhere abroad come back to serve the deities every year.

“All the young servitors take leaves or come here even on “no work no pay” basis. But they definitely join us. Sooner or later, most of them find it difficult to stay away from the temple and hence many return forever,” said Rama Chandra Das Mohapatra, a senior daitapati.

Servitors take vows to neither eat, nor drink anything outside home right from the Deva Snana Purnima till Niladri Bije, when the rath yatra festival concludes.

Even as school kids, these servitors are given packed foods and instructions not to take any outside food, something that they sincerely observe. So this love for the traditions is inculcated deep in them since childhood.

“Lord Jagannath is my priority, no matter where I am. Growing up on the temple premises, the Lord is our closest family member. I have felt His presence as friend and guide in the most difficult times in life, and he paves the way for us to be with Him when He is suffering from fever,” said Kirti Prakash Das Mohapatra, 26-year-old daitapati servitor, who works in Bhubaneswar for an event management firm.

During Nabakalebar, those servitors who work outside the state will need leave for nearly three months. The process begins with the identification of the sacred trees and ends with the return car festival.