Yesterday was the day of our tryst with CHAKADOLA (Round Eyeballs) - one of myriad lovable ways of addressing Lord Jagannath by us Odias.
The Lord was well ensconced inside a small house by the large hearted Odias who are a section of the devoted devotees from the Jagannath Society of Odisha Of Greater Chicago.
The icy chilled abode soon warmed up, as the heating cranked up inside the building, followed by the high decibel cranking of hand held GHANTA (lummox cylindrical brass plates hit with stick) and GINI (runt, ear shaped pair of brass, more shoothing to the eardrums).
As the puja juggernaut trudged ahead, the sound transported me back down the memory lanes on a Time Machine, when on the night of DASHAHARA (Dussera) festivals, chariot carrying our village diety would roll on the narrow, dusty track in between the lines of thatched roofs.
It would make intermittent stops in front of each house, as the designated priest would climb the stairs made from MANKADAA PATHARA (black poked sedimentary rock) leading to the main door.
He would swivel his GINI (another conical device made from brass) on his left arm and swirl few drops of water around the BHOGA, the sacred offering of PITHA (rice and lentil based cakes) from the household, uttering OM HING KLING NAIBEDYAM SAMARPAYAMI (oh lord, I offer thee these pious offerings).
Soon the priest will walk down, followed by urchins from the household joining the melee, chasing the chariot. Most of them who invariably wore loose fit outfits, frantically lift their short pants which frequentltryst withy slip off as they chase the chariot amidst the haze of dust lifting up under lantern lights.
The incessant cacophony from the GHANTA continued, as the chariot juggernauts ahead. I queried a fellow village youth, what a particular tune of DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN..DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN means. He told me it rhymes with,
AHE CHAKA DOLA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
BAIGANA SANTULA
Transliterated to English...
O Lord Jagannath
In your father's generation,
Did you ever ate grilled Eggplant ?
Now I could mentally tune in to the local context,
AHE CHAKA AKHIA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
BAIGANA SANTULA
O Lord Jagannath.
In your father's generation
Did ya ever had Chicago Pizza sessions.
The Lord was well ensconced inside a small house by the large hearted Odias who are a section of the devoted devotees from the Jagannath Society of Odisha Of Greater Chicago.
The icy chilled abode soon warmed up, as the heating cranked up inside the building, followed by the high decibel cranking of hand held GHANTA (lummox cylindrical brass plates hit with stick) and GINI (runt, ear shaped pair of brass, more shoothing to the eardrums).
As the puja juggernaut trudged ahead, the sound transported me back down the memory lanes on a Time Machine, when on the night of DASHAHARA (Dussera) festivals, chariot carrying our village diety would roll on the narrow, dusty track in between the lines of thatched roofs.
It would make intermittent stops in front of each house, as the designated priest would climb the stairs made from MANKADAA PATHARA (black poked sedimentary rock) leading to the main door.
He would swivel his GINI (another conical device made from brass) on his left arm and swirl few drops of water around the BHOGA, the sacred offering of PITHA (rice and lentil based cakes) from the household, uttering OM HING KLING NAIBEDYAM SAMARPAYAMI (oh lord, I offer thee these pious offerings).
Soon the priest will walk down, followed by urchins from the household joining the melee, chasing the chariot. Most of them who invariably wore loose fit outfits, frantically lift their short pants which frequentltryst withy slip off as they chase the chariot amidst the haze of dust lifting up under lantern lights.
The incessant cacophony from the GHANTA continued, as the chariot juggernauts ahead. I queried a fellow village youth, what a particular tune of DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN..DHAIN DHAIN DHAIN means. He told me it rhymes with,
AHE CHAKA DOLA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
BAIGANA SANTULA
Transliterated to English...
O Lord Jagannath
In your father's generation,
Did you ever ate grilled Eggplant ?
Now I could mentally tune in to the local context,
AHE CHAKA AKHIA
TAMA BOPA KALE KHAITHILA KI
BAIGANA SANTULA
O Lord Jagannath.
In your father's generation
Did ya ever had Chicago Pizza sessions.
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