Conflict casts shadow on Rath celebrations, foreign turnout may be lower than last yr's
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Kolkata: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), which has been organising a grand Rath Yatra in Kolkata for 53 years, is expecting fewer foreign attendees at this year's event due to disruptions in air traffic following conflicts between Iran and Israel in West Asia and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine in eastern Europe.
Iskcon Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das said the prevalent geopolitical situation made it extremely challenging for devotees to travel to the region from Europe and America. "We usually get around 200 devotees from abroad. But this year, the numbers could be half of that due to logistical challenges," said Das.
Among the foreigners certain to join the procession are several Ukrainians who have been unable to return to their war-ravaged country for the past three years.
These Iskcon devotees exited India before their visas expired and went to a third country, from where they reapplied for Indian visas and returned.
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"There will be Russians and Chinese as well, along with devotees from Europe and America. But the numbers will be fewer than expected due to the travel constraints," said Das.
In the Russia-Ukraine war that started in Feb 2022, Iskcon devotees and their relatives were casualties.
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In Nov 2023, two devotees were killed when a Russian rocket hit their food van in the village of Nechaevo near Oleshek, in eastern Ukraine. A third devotee was rescued from the rubble.
Krishna-Tattva Prabhu, director of the Food for All Luhansk mission and president of Iskcon in Alchevsk, and Madana-Gopal Prabhu were killed in the missile strike that hit the Food For Life kitchen and destroyed it. The programme provided over 1,000 prasad meals weekly to civilians in the Donbas region and also carried out charity programmes.
"Imagine the hatred the people of the two countries must be nursing against each other. But at Iskcon, Ukrainian and Russian devotees chant, sing, dance, and eat together. That is because they have learnt that there is more to life than material wealth. We also have devotees in Israel, but they will be unable to travel as flights are not operating at present," the Iskcon senior functionary said.
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