I had never thought that I would be the daughter-in-law of a daitapati family. I am happy that I am the wife of a daitapati, a servitor who is considered so close to Lord Jagannath. My father-in-law Haladhar Das Mohapatra is the chief servitor of Lord Balabhadra, the elder brother of Lord Jagannath.

I work with TCS as a software engineer and I see husbands and wives coming together to office. But I never felt different. In fact, I am delighted when I see my husband wearing a gamucha (towel) and going to the temple barefoot to do the seva of the Trinity.

God has been kind to me and I feel privileged to be the wife of someone who is a family member of Lord Jagannath. With the Lord's grace, I will become the mother of a daitapati... whether it's boy or a girl.

I got married to Jagdish barely four months before Nabakalebar began last year. It was a love marriage and both our families agreed to the match. When I stepped into his house, I thought I would have to keep my head covered with a pallu and follow the traditions that a daughter-in-law is supposed to observe in an orthodox family. Nothing of that sort happened. I was encouraged to pursue my career.

The process of car festival has begun, and I follow a strict regime. From the day the Trinity moves fall sick (moves to anasara griha for hibernation), I have to eat only mahaprasad. My husband either comes with it or sends the mahaparasad to my Bhubaneswar residence every day. If for some reason the mahaprasad does not come, I have to go without food. I bring water from my home with a mixture of nirmalya (dry cooked rice offered to the deities) in it. I have taken leave and will be in Puri during the festival.

However, I never go to the temple with my husband. I go to the shrine either with my mother-in-law or with other women.

My wish is that I should set an example in our daitapati families. I want to prove that one can work in an office and also simultaneously do the seva of the Trinity. I am lucky that I have been the part of a family where everyone is broadminded. It's my brother-in-law who argues in support of my continuing with my job.

When colleagues at my workplace ask me for the phone number of my husband so that they can talk to him, I feel a sense of pride. Lord Jagannath has given me an identity that is more important than anything else. This identity is my passport to the outer world.

I recall how I was told to maintain celibacy during the car festival. Even though my marriage was only four months old during Nabakalebar, I was asked both by my mother-in-law and also my mother not to speak to my husband even on phone.

Sometimes, it was irritating that I was not allowed to talk to my husband for nearly two months. However, with the passage of time, I continued to learn all the intricacies involved in it.

I had heard a lot of about the rituals associated with the Jagannath culture. My father-in-law Haladhar Das Mohapatra, who is like a god to me - although he speaks little with others - shared a lot with me about Jagannath culture and how daitapatis should behave. My mother-in-law has taught me what to do during the car festival. It's a great learning process.

Before I got married, I had got the opportunity to work in South Africa. My bonding with God is as strong as that of any devotee. I have learnt it from my mother. Perhaps it is my love for Lord Jagannath that has brought me to this daitapati family.

I am yet to become a mother. I will be happier if my son were to become the servitor of Lord Jagannath rather than a scientist of Nasa. If I become the mother of a girl child, she will certainly be a great devotee of Lord Jagannath and have the opportunity to learn about the culture of Lord Jagannath.

Though there is a common feeling that servitors are mostly illiterate, I can say that with the passage of time, they are now the most educated, most learned. Sometimes, I feel upset when people pass unfeeling remarks about them. They don't realise how dedicated the daitapatis are. They are aware that they cannot make mistakes while serving Lord Jagannath. If they do so, they will be severely punished.

AS TOLD TO SUBHASHISH MOHANTY