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Time of India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Diaspora celebrates Niladri Bije in Japan, Canada, Aus
1 2 Bhubaneswar/Rourkela: As the sibling deities returned to the Puri Jagannath Temple on the occasion of Niladri Bije on Tuesday, Odias abroad also celebrated the ritual to mark the end of Rath Yatra. At Kawasaki in Japan, members of NPO-Odisha Community Japan enacted the 'Laxmi-Narayan kali' or the scene when an upset Maa Laxmi blocks the way of Lord Jagannath for not taking her on the yatra. Maa Laxmi was played by Pratima Behera, president, NPO-OCJ, Swadhi Kumar Behera performed the character of Lord Jagannath, while the script was readied by Arun Rayguru and Sarmistha Sarangi was the storyteller. "We have been doing Laxmi-Narayan kali since the last five years as it is an integral part of Rath Yatra," said Pratima. The divine fight ends with Lord Jagannath trying to console his wife with rasagola. A similar scene was enacted at the Shree Jagannath Temple in Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada. Niladri Bije was also celebrated with devotion at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre (HTCC) in Canberra, Australia. The evening began with a 'sankalpa puja', followed by collective chanting of 'Hanuman Chalisa' 11 times, an 'aarati' and 'rasagola bhoga', symbolising the reconciliation between Lord Jagannath and Maa Laxmi. The sibling deities were then reinstalled on a jewelled throne, concluding their annual sojourn. Rath Yatra attracted over 1,500 devotees in Canberra, who pulled the decorated chariot around the temple, sang bhajans, danced and shared 'prasad'. B ahuda Yatra was celebrated on Saturday, featuring a performance by a bhajan singer from Punjab. On Sunday, the Suna Besha ritual was performed along with a 'satsang'. Tarun Agasti, founding member of Shree Jagannath Consciousness ANZ, told TOI, "With Mahaprabhu's grace, we have celebrated Rath Yatra in Canberra for 15 years. This year was special as Rath Yatra was held for the first time in Sydney and for the second year in Melbourne and Auckland. It is heartening to see Mahaprabhu's devotion grow across Australia and New Zealand."
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Indians, Japanese come together to celebrate festival
1 2 Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra turned into a platform of bilateral bonhomie in Japan, with Japanese playing a key role in the preparations and execution of the festival. At Kasugai in Aichi prefecture, nearly 50% of the organising committee members were Japanese, who worked along with Odias in the run-up to the festival. "They were to fill up forms in Japanese for the venue, Fukushi No Sato (Rainbow Plaza), assembling the chariot during the June 22 workshop at Daisenjicho community hall, finding the place to cook 'prasad' as well as getting insurance," said Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty, vice-chairman of Kasugai Rath Yatra organising committee. Japanese people helped in bringing the chariot to the venue, decorating it, managing the guests and contributing to the festival funds. Chairman of the committee, Chisato Miura, is a native, and the chariot is stored at the house of a Kasugai councillor throughout the year. "This is a novel collaboration between people of two different cultures," added Mohanty. Japanese artists performed Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Bon Odori and Kagura music. 'Chhera Pahanra' was conducted by first secretary (political & thematic cooperation), Indian Embassy, Himanshu Sagar. Deputy mayor of Kasugai, Yamaguchi, Kasugai councillor Kajita Masanao, and member of Shri Ram Mandir Trust, Bando, Shreekant Vadlamani, attended along with 500 people. In Kawasaki, celebrations organised by NPO Odisha Community Japan at the city office saw the Indian community condemn the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian children displayed placards based on 'unity in diversity' theme and sang Japanese patriotic songs. Japanese children sang Indian patriotic songs. "We united this concept with Rath Yatra celebrations to express our solidarity with India. We also brought different communities together," said Pratima Behera, NPO-OCJ president. There was a Japanese drum (Wadaiko) performance, Odissi dance and songs to pay tributes to Pahalgam victims. Japanese troupes performed to Bollywood songs, Indian dancers performed Rajasthani folk, and children of OCJ members presented Odia folk dance. Chhera Pahanra was conducted by vice-mayor of Kawasaki, Mitamura Tomomari, and minister (consular), Indian Embassy, Dhiraj Mukhia. A souvenir was also released that contained the message of Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb. Members of Indian communities cooked 'sukhila bhoga'. "We made groups of four each to make 'sukhila bhoga' of 'khaja' and 'malpua'," said Behera. At both places, prasad was distributed for free. "A lot of Japanese participate in Rath Yatra as they find the festival very colourful and attractive," she added. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
