Throwback Thursday

THROWBACK THURSDAY

Here I am at the Ratha Yatra Festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 19, 2008. My wife and I, along with my mom-in-law, were visiting my wife's family and friends in and around Toronto, and, luckily, the festival was amidst our visit.

During the summer of every year, these festivals in honor of the Hindu god Jagannath, a representation of Lord Krishna (God) who lived in India about five thousand years ago, are celebrated in small villages up to large cities all over the world.

The English word "juggernaut" is derived from Jagannath. The immense size and power of the chariots, and the dedication of the crowds pulling them, inspired the word "juggernaut," as per Google. I learned long ago that the god Jagannath flew through the air like a juggernaut.

Ratha Yatra is believed to have been celebrated for thousands of years, with some estimates dating back to the 12th century or even earlier.

My religion is Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Hare Krishna), a sect of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism).

Here are two of the many photos that my wife took of myself at the festival.

In the first photo, you can see me help pull one of three colorful chariots for a few miles through the streets of the city. The chariots, which are about 45 feet high and 35 feet in length and width, can be seen in the background. The "tents" on the tops of the chariots had to be lowered and then raised again whenever the chariots passed under traffic lights.

In the second photo, I am holding a plastic bag of halva in my right hand that was given to me at the festival. While my shirt has a Hindu prayer printed on it, written in the Sanskrit language, it does not represent the official garb of the Hare Krishnas. The cloth bag hanging from my neck, which has a Hindu prayer printed on it, also in Sanskrit, IS carried by the Hare Krishnas; it contains mala (prayer beads). My necklace holds a golden, colorful pendant of the Hindu god Jagannath.

About an hour after my wife took these photos, I was taken to the hospital by ambulance with heat exhaustion.

(I included an online photo of a depiction of Jagannath with the other two photos.)

After all of these years, I continue to thank my wonderful wife for accompanying me on my spiritual pilgrimage.

September 18, 2025, at home