Acclaimed national award-winning film-maker Nila Madhab Panda was today a happy man as he had come to be a part of rath yatra.
"This time, I am here as a devotee. I have come to the pilgrim city as a devotee almost 30 years later. I still remember when I was a child, I had come here with my family from Sonepur, about 500km from here," he said.
"It's a lifetime opportunity to watch rath yatra. I have never seen such a crowd anywhere in the world on any occasion. Here, the atmosphere is electrifying at this moment. Your identity is lost in the milling crowds. The weather was good and everyone there was in high spirits," he said.
Recalling his childhood bonding with Lord Jagannath, he said: "From my childhood, we have been told about Lord Jagannath. I have a special bond with Him. This is what inspired me to make a film on Nabakalebar."
He said: "When I had come here with my parents, there was not much communication facility. Puri is a small town with limited infrastructure. My relatives took me on their shoulders to allow me to get a good glimpse of the Lord inside the temple."
Panda said: "I have extensively covered the Nabakalebar yatra of the Lord to make a documentary film. At that time, I was totally engrossed in the work. I could not think of anything except the work. Now, I am free and relieved for the time being."
To bring the Jagannath cult on the international stage, he said: "We had urged Amitabh Bachchan to give a voice-over for the documentary on Nabakalebar: God's Own People. Bachchan, who is also a great devotee of Lord Jagannath, did not take a single paise to lend his voice. He had kept four days aside for us and completed the documentary." Bachchan has given his voice-over in English.
The documentary extensively covers the origin of Jagannath and how the Jagganath cult is different from others. It also deals with the birth, death and re-birth of the Lord.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today released the documentary's new version. State tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda, law minister Pratap Jena and finance minister Pradeep Amat were present.<> The film had earlier been screened at the Cannes Film festival.
