By Sri Baladeva Dasa (One day padayatra organizer)
On Sunday, July 30th, 2023, a grand and successful one day padayatra with bullock cart was organized in manusmudia village (80km from Jamshedpur). The event was a testament to the community’s unity and enthusiasm, bringing together residents from all walks of life to celebrate a memorable day.
The padayatra commenced at Kadam tala chowk where devotees gathered with all their offerings and bhogas to welcome their Lordships Sri Sri Nitai Gaurachandra .Local authorities and community leaders extended their support and ensured a smooth and well-coordinated event. We were not expecting the arrangement of a bullock cart as it was rainy season and the farmers were using the bullocks to plough the paddy fields from morning 6 to 3pm still by Krishna’s mercy they agreed to lend a bullock cart for 500/ Rs which finally arrived at the destination point at 4pm and all the devotees instantly took up to decorate the cart as fast as possible. The bullocks were decorated with vaishnava tilaks ,painted horns of the oxen with cotton balls tied up and Harinam chadar.
The padayatra route spanned through the heart of the village, passing by major landmarks, streets, and residential areas where we stopped in main areas and made them fortunate by making them chant Hare Krishna mahamantra and distributed books. We walked for about 2.5km. A colorful display of the bullock cart, kirtans, and dance added to the festive atmosphere, resonating with the essence of the village’s traditions and heritage.
The event also provided an excellent opportunity for local people to take part in several services like getting ingredients for prasadam, building pandals, informing others etc.
The successful padayatra was made possible by the tireless efforts of the organizing devotees especially Bhakta Deepak and Sadhana mataji and numerous other devotees and housemates who worked diligently to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all padayatris. Even Lord Indra seemed happy as he was pouring rain on us. Despite rain devotees didn’t lose their enthusiasm and kept on singing and dancing in the kirtan rhythm with umbrellas in hands. It was a wonderful experience.
The active participation and overwhelming response from the village residents and neighboring communities made the procession a resounding success.
In conclusion, the padayatra was a remarkable celebration of unity, culture, animal protection and team spirit. Its success can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of everyone involved. After the padayatra we had a short lecture where we highlighted about the glories of Purushottam month and observing ekadashi. Khichdi prasadam was served to all the attendees. Last but not the least I would like to thank the devotees of ISKCON Jalgaon for being a great source of motivation behind the bullock cart one day padayatra. Also thank our spiritual master Lokanath Maharaja who is the source of inspiration behind all the padayatras.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai
Haribol
