The Jagannath Temple is probably the most famous shrine across the world irrespective of faith or religion of the world communities. It is known to generate maximum awe among all kinds of people on the planet for the most wonderful culture it keeps nurturing and promoting to ensure such principles as ‘universal brotherhood’, ‘formless god’ and ‘peaceful coexistence’ apart from popularising what food is ideal for a healthy and happy living. The deities are made of wood and they die and get reborn as living creatures do. The sage-like monarchs who founded the Jagannath cult did take extreme care to make the devotees feel great while visiting the magnificent temple. They had put in place nearly seventy-five categories of servitors to keep the temple running without any hitch. Each category would have at least one of the community to perform the lords’ chores. The servitor not on duty was expected to be away from the scene only to avoid creating a crowd.
later, when monarchy was gone after Independence, the Government took over the management of the huge temple because the monarchs without control over economics and finances kept bungling on the job. The deities did not get service and the servitors virtually went hungry without any income for survival. Pilgrims felt hurt and dwindled in number. Much later in the Twentieth Century, ISKCON founder Prabhupada revived the Jagannath cult by popularising the scriptural fact that lord Jagannath is one of the principal incarnations of lord Krishna. Thus, the Car Festival is a very popular event today across the cities of the world. Ironically, the ISKCON devotees, who are any time more ‘Hindu’ than the most India-born Hindus practising the basic principles of ‘food choice’, communal harmony and philanthropy, are not allowed to enter the temple at Puri. The ISKCON made the Car Festival immensely popular and the Puri servitors keep basking in the glory brought by the former. The servitors of today do not even know little of any fundamental principle that is meant to govern their conduct and behaviour. Their number has grown way beyond the original seventy-five categories, each performing a specific task. A Hindu Union Minister put the Car Festival on the national television live and a colleague chiffon Minister of Odisha then embraced a few of the servitors as clan and all hell had gone broken loose ever since then. When they were in want of food and bottom-level social security, they were very decently-behaved. But now that they are known faces due to television and that the temple has begun earning some good enough money due to bigger footfalls and a respectable Hundi collection, most of the servitors have begun imagining all cash and products are their entitlement. The good ones who are truthful and sincere are just too good and timid. The unruly, greedy ones are militant and grossly ill-behaved. Only due to several public interest litigation cases, they have been tamed a little, the bad ones of course.
After a long, long time, a truly devout, sincere Chief Administrator has appeared on the scene. After his takeover, in the history of Hundi, the highest ever daily collection of more than Rs 7 lakh was recorded recently. He knows his job well: Keep the devotees happy first and the society at peace; raise the reputation and image of the Odia race, and also never to see any servitor unhappy due to want of resources that ensure a dignified livelihood.
All was well until two days ago when the High Court ordered that only servitors on duty be allowed to enter the temple premises to be part of rituals. The temple cook community is called the ‘Suara’ class. They were highly agitated to know the court order and the administration’s firmness to obey the order. The Suara servitors struck work and made trouble so badly that the deities went without food for two consecutive days. Only yesterday, the issue was resolved mainly because the big festival of Akshyaya Tritiya is a popular one and there is some scope for earning big money. The Chief Administrator, the District Magistrate and the SP have formed a grand team and for the first time and wonderful reform processes are on.
Servitors, for long defamed owing to crude and uncouth behaviour by some of them, have become sensitised to good things in life. But still, they have to go a long way in reforming themselves on the public conduct front and being good to the devotees and the visitors.
Hopefully, the honourable High Court will rule yet again in clearer terms so as to enable the temple administration to resolve the issue by fixing the rebel and agitating servitors at the drop of a hat. Only then, the temple will regain its lost glory and dignity. Odias will also be able to take great pride.
Odisha political activities are just beginning to gain heat as the BJP is living no stone unturned to upset the BJD regime by hook or by crook. They captured the disgruntled BJD MP Bajayant Panda who is sore like mad over a highly efficient bureaucrat guiding the Chief Minister on all critical matters of administration which include the moves and initiatives taken by members of the executive. Constitutionally, it is perfectly appropriate that sharp-minded bureaucrats update, sensitise and show the way to the Ministers including the chief. It is believed today that the Indian Administrative Service examination is the toughest one in the world as the best brains compete against one another to prove intelligence beat the other and grab a berth after slugging for months on end in preparation. Coincidentally, the Odisha Chief Minister has a Private Secretary who has an incredible analytical mind and fast problem–solving abilities. He has a very impressive track record as well. Baijayant Panda somehow keeps suspecting the bureaucrat misguides the boss and makes trouble for politicians. Panda is a billionaire who began imagining BJP should be his next refuge. Dharmendra Pradhan may have enticed him to the saffron fold with tall promises, little knowing the fact that the BJP has no face in Odisha. He only choruses Modi’s and Amit Shah’s voice. Party State president Basant Panda has been biting dust for quite some time. There are rebels too. So, Baijayant may be treading on the dangerous path. Many of his great friends have abandoned him because of his political misadventures. lately, his most trusted, ten-year-old political coordinator Debashish Mallick abandoned him levelling very strange but true charges against him. The bitterest one is that Panda has been misleading people by spreading rumours that Naveen Patnaik is ailing badly and anything could happen to him anytime, that Naveen has no brains to run a State on his own and that he does not trust politicians and so bureaucrats have taken over.
Thus, Baijayant is in a fix. He has defamed the BJD and left for good. But no big enough saviour from the saffron fold is in sight. Dharmendra alone is around with his sky-high promises of giving him the highest berth in the Union Government once the elections are over, little knowing that it will be the BJD again. Further, there are disgusted insiders including Dilip Ray and Bijay Mohapatra who can cause many self goals into the net of defeat. Kanak Vardhan has lost all his confidence for not once is he projected as the CM face from the party. Modi is known as a compulsive tourist; Shah as one trying his best to abuse the state machinery to wriggle out of the criminal entanglements he is in.
Baijayant can still mend ways and make a comeback home provided he is willing to admit some bureaucrats are a thousand times better and faster in designing people’s programmes and solving their problems.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)