Of chariots, clay, and childhood: Silchar's Rath Yatra rekindles forgotten joys

Silchar, June 28: Amid chants of Hare Krishna, the streets of Silchar once again transformed into a divine carnival of faith, colours, and spiritual ecstasy as the 27th annual Rath Yatra was celebrated with grandeur by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Silchar on Friday. Thousands of devotees from across the Barak Valley and beyond joined hands and hearts to mark the sacred journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra through the town.

The celebrations were marked by traditional rituals, vibrant cultural performances, and heartfelt devotion. This year, the Rath Yatra was graced by the Vice Chancellor of Assam University, Professor Rajive Mohan Pant, who performed the age-old ceremonial ritual of sweeping the path for the Lords’ chariot with a golden-handled broom, a symbolic act of humility and the supreme power of service.

“I pray that this Rath Yatra brings peace, prosperity, and spiritual elevation to all,” Professor Pant said, as he joined the swelling crowd of devotees bowing in reverence.

The celebrations, which continued late into the evening despite a spell of heavy rain, saw devotees drenched in the downpour, singing hymns as chariots rolled through the city.

Amid the rhythm of devotion and festivity, another timeless ritual quietly unfolds on the sidelines. A humble figure sets up his world underneath the shade of a roadside shop — a world of clay dreams, colours, and forgotten childhood.

Sandip Pal, a clay toy vendor from Panibhora in Dholai area, about 15kms from Silchar, was seen busy arranging his hand-molded toys — spring-headed old man, painted birds, miniature cows, rustic flutes, kitchen sets, spinning tops, and dolls made of earth and love. For years now, he has stood at the heart of Silchar’s Rath Yatra fair, a silent guardian of a craft slowly vanishing in the glitter of plastic and the pull of mobile screens.

“I’ve been coming from Panibhora in Dholai to Silchar every year for Rath yatra," says Sandip, arranging his toys carefully at Bilpar area near the Radha Madhab Mandir Lane.

“Each toy is different, like every childhood. Every year, some grown-ups find their old self in these toys and I find my peace amidst the chores," he mentioned.

While children still gather wide-eyed around his colourful collection, it is often the adults who pause longer — touched by nostalgia. Many recall clutching these toys as kids during Rath Yatra processions, when the excitement of the fair was as sacred as the rituals themselves.

“It reminds me of my father buying me a flute just like this,” says Amiyo Nath, now in his 50s, holding a tiny earthen whistle shaped like a bird. “It cost fifty paisa then. I haven’t seen one in years.”

While the ISKCON chariot rolled down the decorated streets and the century-old Radha Madhab mandir rath drew crowds of reverence, Sandip's modest stall on the footpath drew a different kind of gathering— not bound by ritual, but drawn by memories. The Rath Yatra is not just about deities and devotion — it is about tradition, community, and passing on stories to the next generation.

Among the crowd was 10-year-old Shivam, clutching a clay spring-headed old man in his hand. “I want to show it to my grandmother,” he said.

In a rapidly changing world, where even festivals are touched by technology, the clay toy vendor of Silchar stands resilient. His humble stall is a shrine of memory, his toys, an offering to the gods of innocence.