‘Feeding people with love’: London’s Odia diaspora marks Rath Yatra with free meals

‘Feeding people with love, without discrimination, is one of the greatest forms of devotion’ — that was the message from Arun Kar, one of three Odisha-born entrepreneurs in London who organised a free meal for devotees and homeless residents in Bexley on Thursday to mark Rath Yatra.

More than 200 people were served a traditional Odia spread of ‘arna, kanika, mitha dali, saga muga, besara, pachedi’ and ‘khiri’ at a restaurant in the borough. The food was prepared by Subhakanta Das and Sasmita Pattnaik, who put in hours of work so that every guest tasted the authentic flavours of home.

Kar said the event was the group’s own way of observing the festival without being able to travel to Puri to pull the chariots in person, choosing instead to serve the local community. Fellow organiser Partha Panda arranged an evening of cultural performances, opening with Odissi from Soniya Patnaik and continuing with semi-classical dances set to Jagannath bhajans by Sabita Pradhan and Upasana Padhi.

Idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were placed in a decorated corner of the restaurant, adorned with flowers, giving the room a festive, temple-like feel through the evening.

Vijay Meher, an IT consultant who attended, said the celebration made him feel connected to Odisha despite the distance. ‘Although we are far away from Odisha, today I felt as if I was celebrating Rath Yatra in Puri. Seeing Lord Jagannath and Odissi performances, besides sharing traditional Odia food with others, made me feel proud of my culture,’ he said.

The Mayor of Bexley, Lisa Moore, attended along with her consort Justin Moore and cabinet members Brian Bishop and Rags Sandhu. Moore later wrote on social media praising the restaurant for serving warm, nutritious meals to Bexley residents who needed them most.

Rath Yatra, Puri/Wikimedia Commons — by G.-U. Tolkiehn