Barefoot with the faithful: Gautam Adani's journey from industry captain to inner calling at Puri Rath Yatra

Hans India

8 hours ago

Puri: From orchestrating sanitation drives during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj to joining the chariot pulling in Puri, Gautam Adani's expression of seva goes beyond philanthropy - it becomes a spiritual commitment.
In the ancient coastal town of Puri, Odisha, where chants of "Jai Jagannath" echo through narrow lanes and the air smells of incense and salt, the annual Rath Yatra is not just a festival - it's a living embodiment of faith.
This spiritual grandeur took on an added dimension this year when Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, humbly participated in the chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, embracing the essence of "Seva hi Sadhana hai" (service is worship), a philosophy that underpins both his personal and professional life, on June 28, the second day of the nine-day festival.
Dressed in traditional attire, barefoot and unassuming, Gautam Adani joined the lakhs of devotees who thronged the Grand Road (Bada Danda), pulling the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra during the sacred festival that ends on July 5. He did not come as a business leader but as a humble sevak - one among many believers swept in the tide of devotion.
With folded hands and bowed head, his actions resonated with silent reverence, capturing the true spirit of selfless service.
Gautam Adani's participation was deeply symbolic. It marked a convergence of India's spiritual legacy with corporate responsibility - a quiet message that leadership is as much about grounding as it is about vision. His seva included helping with preparations, engaging with temple servitors, known as Daitapati in local Odia parlance, and offering voluntary support in logistics and pilgrim services.
Ranging from coordinating with local teams to aid sanitation drives to facilitating medical assistance for devotees, Gautam Adani's presence underscored his commitment to holistic seva, not as a photo opportunity but as a lived value that embodies his eponymous Group's motto of growth with goodness.
This was not an isolated gesture. It builds upon the Adani Group's increasing involvement in community welfare during major religious and national events.
Adani Foundation teams were also on the ground at Puri. This year, the support includes nearly 4 million meals and drinks distributed free of cost; designated food counters providing free, nutritious meals to pilgrims and officials; beverage counters across the town offering cool drinks to beat the oppressive Odisha heat; support for lifeguards from the Puri Beach Lifeguard Mahasangha; volunteers for beach clean-up, especially plastic waste; free T-shirts for official volunteers; fluorescent safety vests for municipal workers; and also a variety of jackets, raincoats, caps and umbrellas for officials and devotees.
The seva effort is a collaboration between the Adani Group, the Puri district administration, ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and local volunteer organisations.
The Group, which has been working in Odisha through the Adani Foundation across sectors such as rural healthcare, school infrastructure and livelihoods, sees this seva as part of a larger spiritual continuity in India's public life.
In an age where power is often displayed through optics, Gautam Adani's quiet seva during the Rath Yatra stood out as a rare act of devotion-led leadership. It reminded the world that humility, when practised with sincerity, becomes transformative.
As the chariots of the deities rolled forward through a sea of faith, one of India's most influential industrialists walked silently behind, offering more than just strength to the ropes, but his heart to the journey.
Earlier this year, during the 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela, which ended on February 26, the Group had supported food distribution and pilgrim welfare services on a massive scale in collaboration with ISKCON and Gita Press.
On January 21, Gautam Adani personally took part in seva at the mela, underscoring the Group's message that social service is not a sideline activity but a central value.
Puri 'sewa' was a continuation of that overarching sentiment, where corporate capability met spiritual humility.