Festivity marches along with solemn piety

The Rathyatra has slowly been transformed from a religious function into a carnival, from which people from the educated class are slowly moving away.

In fact, the youth participating in the Rathyatra are involved more in showing off fashion rather than devotion. Devotional songs, which were earlier an essential part of the Rathyatra, are not to be heard today and instead blaring music has taken their place.

Besides this, the number of bhajan mandlis, which usually participate in the Rathyatra, has been on the decline with akhadawalas and truckers taking their place.

Sometimes these youngsters also resort to obscene gestures during the yatra by throwing chocolates at women. Over the years, police personnel have turned strict and have started keeping a tab on youth who create a public nuisance on the streets in the Rathyatra. Many of them also flaunt their vests and shades resembling Bollywood actors.

Pallavi Joshi, a bank employee told DNA, “It is not in our Indian culture to behave in the manner few of our boys do. For some reason, males consider themselves to be the superior sex and walk around thinking they can do what they like. It is really neither civil nor human to make obscene gestures in front of women and children and I think such men should be altogether banned from the yatra.”

Manisha Bhagat, a student agrees. She said, “I have come across some rowdy guys during such religious events who tend to forget their basic manners and culture and behave like hooligans, shouting and gesturing throughout the yatra. They should know that women find such activities highly irritating and uncomfortable to stand through.”

However, Bhavna Patel, a housewife opines otherwise “I have not yet come across a situation wherein boys make obscene gestures or misbehave during the yatra. I think it’s only a minority of men who behave in that manner and that too not during the yatra.”

Convenor of the Khadia Itihas Samiti, Ashutosh Bhatt said, “Earlier, devotional values were more among youth participating in the yatra, but today these values are not to be seen. Instead of this, the new generation focuses more on showing off fashion. This resembles that of Navratri, where values have drastically changed.”